Rhapsody of the Fallen Stars
by It's The Dee
Summary: Celestial powers have decreed that the last two Suzaku seishi must die... and will use treachery to achieve this end. Chapter 29: 'Genji slipped quietly from the main Reikaku doors and into the starlit night... Something had happened that night...'
1. Program

**WARNING: THIS IS AN UNFINISHED FANFIC **

**I began writing this years and years ago, and over time I just lost my interest in it. I decided to keep it up on the website out of respect for the readers who might want to go back and skim through some of their favorite scenes/chapters/etc., but at this point I have absolutely no intention of _ever_ finishing this fanfic. You are still free to read it, of course, and if you get to the end and want to see what happens, send me a PM or an e-mail and I'll send you a summary of the second half of the story. Just figured I should give you fair warning before you got started.**

**Thanks,  
Dee**

_**Rhapsody of the Fallen Stars  
::Program::**_

**Disclaimer:** Technically, I own all the otherworldly characters and ideas, including the Seven Oaths - so no stealin'! - but excluding the Weaver and the Four gods (I think the Weaver has been used in other stories before...). I also own the Akutsuki Clan and pretty much any Reikaku bandit except Tasuki and Koji (although I'd pay a _fine_ fee to own Koji yowl!). Naturally, Chichiri-chan, Tasu-chan and Koji-chan are all products of Watase Yuu-san's amazing mind, and even if I wrote a million times "I own Fushigi Yuugi," it would continue to be a terrible lie, so I'll move on without wasting the drive space.

**Rating: **PG-13, for dark themes, violence, language and adult situations. So, basically, for pretty much every reason a story could _be_ rated "PG-13."

**Timeline and Spoilers: **This takes place two years after the "Eikou Den" OVA, but you don't really need to have seen it to understand the story. There's no homework required. Also contains mild spoilers for Gaiden Novel "Genrou Den" and "Shouryuu Den."

**Explanation on Verses:** This entire fanfic is very musically centered, hence the "Program." It will be divided into three "Movements" (parts). These Movements will be further divided into "Verses," or as you folks in the normal world call them, chapters. Each Verse is named after a Japanese song. Every Movement begins with a "Prelude," or a Prologue.

**_--"All living things, every being that walks, each has its own star.  
When a life is born a new star appears. That is the guardian star...  
And when a life ends, the star falls, and disappears...  
"Do not fear death. Death is always at our side. When we show  
fear, it jumps at us faster than life. But when we do  
not show fear, it casts its eye upon us gently, and guides us into infinity."--  
Old Stargazer; "Cowboy Bebop"_**


	2. Prelude to First Movement: Angels

.link { FONT: bold 12px verdana; COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A:hover { COLOR: #349901 } 

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

Free Lake Scene Screen Saver 

  


**_--First Movement: Angels--_**

**_::Prelude::_**

_There is a void between Heaven and Earth: a choking, stifling place of complete nothingness that could not possibly exist and does, in all senses, not exist at all. Few could survive in the land that was no real land, yet one managed to live - if indeed you could call it living - in the impenetrable blackness of the void. This was his home, the place where he could converse with the gods and still keep an eye on his true domain: earth, the realm of man._

_True, you couldn't really consider him to be a "he," shapeless as he was, but in the tales that were told by humans he was described as male, and so it was the form of a man that he often chose to take. _

_He was the Weaver of Fates, the Master of Men's Destinies._

_He now sat on a misty, chair-like cloud, staring intently at the thing that sat before him. It was his land, the earth, mapped out much like a chessboard. He glanced around at the many human lives that filled the board; so many pawns in a neverending game. The Weaver allowed his man-form's face to smile slightly as he moved a young man closer to a woman, a woman that hopefully would help the young man become a very powerful figure in the world. He rarely allowed himself a moment of celebration when he made a good choice; there were always many others that needed his immediate attention._

_At the moment, his never-blinking eyes were focused intently on the Empire of Konan, where he hoped his next great step in man's history would soon begin to unravel. He looked up, wondering what was taking their messenger so long. "Whether it be good or bad word, they had better send it soon. Time is of the essence and, though my brothers seem to think otherwise, it stops for no one."_

_The Weaver's sharp, grey orbs spotted a pinion of emerald light moving slowly out of the misty darkness, floating in a more-or-less direct line towards him. The deity didn't bother standing - Time was wasted on polite gestures to subordinates - but he did acknowledge the being's presence with a distracted: "So, they finally sent someone."_

_The ball of light flared briefly, then settled and dimmed into the form of a woman. The woman was clothed in a simple robe of pure white, sashed around the middle with an emerald strip of cloth. The robe cut off at her ankles, displaying her feet, which were covered in slippers the color of spring grass. She tossed her raven-black hair casually over one shoulder, green eyes watching the Weaver intently. She smiled a little, stretching white wings outlined in rays of light and bowing politely. "My master Genbu has sent me here with many tidings and events for his elder brother to hear and digest."_

_"Angels spend too much Time on fancy, useless words," the Weaver barked impatiently. "Get on with it, messenger. What word from the gods? What's their verdict?"_

_"The gods remain..." the Angel smiled sadly, taking a seat on a grey mass of mist in the black void, "torn, I fear. Seiryuu and Genbu understand and agree with your request, Byakko remains undecided, and Suzaku... ah, well, as I'm sure you expected he is beside himself with fury. Seiryuu and Genbu move to persuade him, but that battle is one that may take more Time than you possess."_

_"Against it. Of course," the Weaver sighed. He hated getting involved with his younger brothers, who had a tendency to let emotions interfere with necessity. He waved a hand at the Angel, as if to brush her aside. "You may leave, then. And remind your masters that it will be no fault of mine when the world falls to ruin."_

_The woman laughed lightly, a carefree and arrogant sound. "Perhaps Weaver-sama should await my full message before he dismisses me. As I said, I am a servant of Genbu, not of Suzaku. I come bearing word from my master: words and aid."_

_"Aid?" he turned around, temporarily leaving his chessboard to its own devices. _

_"Yes, but if Weaver-sama wants me out of his sight then I suppose it shall be so..."_

_"Oh, stop sitting there with that cocky smile, Angel, and tell me what Genbu sent you for!" the deity snapped impatiently. "I have work to do, something you and my brothers seem to forget."_

_She waved a hand. "Hai, hai. Genbu-sama simply wanted you to know that even though Suzaku is against your plans, he sees the need for what you wish to have done. That is why he has sent me, Asatenshi - the Morning Angel - to aid you in all of your tasks." The Angel stood long enough to bow regally. "I serve my master, and if my master wishes it then it shall be so. I am yours to command, Weaver-sama."_

_The Weaver's scowl did not change; in fact, he nearly frowned harder. "Well, at least now we have a chance... we can't just have you travel down there and dispose of them in one blast, as I had hoped - if we did that the gods might notice - but with a little indirect manipulation..."_

_"Do you have a plan, Weaver-sama?" the Angel clapped her hands together almost teasingly. "Genbu-sama speaks of you with high regard - since my master is the god of wisdom, I do not doubt his words - so you must have a wonderful idea, deshou?"_

_"I believe I do," he allowed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He spoke quietly and slowly, thinking about each word before it was said. "Asatenshi, for humans to continue living, they must continue to grow, to move forward and evolve with time. If they stay in the same place for too long, they will be replaced by a new creature, and their world and existences will fail. Mortal creatures can only evolve with change." He turned back to his board, focusing in on the Konan Empire. "The age of magic has at last come to an end. The age of the gods and their seven has been finished; the summonings have ended, the servants have protected our land from destruction, and their duties have been sufficiently fulfilled._

_"The age of magic has ended, Angel. The age of the seishi has ended. The two go hand-in-hand, and the only way to destroy one is to destroy the other. The human race cannot move forward until these tales of wizardry and godly servants fade into the past, become history, then legend, and finally myth. And these things cannot be forgotten if they still exist."_

_"Now who is wasting time on needless words, Weaver-sama?" Asatenshi remarked casually. "I heard the gods' argument. I know what you wish, so how about we stop bantering and you tell me what you want me to do?" The Angel's voice had gradually changed from frivolous to businesslike during her speech; the Weaver could see why she'd been sent to him._

_The deity smiled slightly. "Very good, very good. Asatenshi, as I'm sure you know, only two seishi still remain alive and with knowledge of their power: two Suzaku seishi within the Konan Empire. I have had my hand in their affairs recently, and to make our job easier the two will soon be reunited. That's where you come in." The Weaver held out his hand, uttering a short incantation. In moments, the figure of a blue-haired monk walking down a path appeared in his palm. "This is the man we are going to... eliminate... first."_

_Asatenshi smiled, clapping her hands together. "Ah! Seishi-chan wa kawaii!"_

_"I never knew Angels had a taste for humans."_

_She touched the illusion with one hand. "I like to think of them more as pets than lovers." The Angel smiled slightly. "Hm... this one has a dark past, deshou?"_

_The Weaver nodded in agreement. "Both of them do, in one way or another. I hope to use that. For the moment, however, we're just going to focus on this one; one at a time will be quite enough. They're more cunning than they look, so be cautious." _

_"I always am," Asatenshi's smile dropped. "I have to be, with her_ always getting in my way."__

_"Hm?"_

_"Don't you know anything about the name Asatenshi?" the Angel asked in near disbelief. "About my Fallen sister, who was somehow enlisted as a servant to the Mother, and her... desires and skills to discover my missions and try to prevent them?" Her frown deepened slightly. "Mm, and this sort of thing is right up her alley. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if she had already found one of the targets... such a pain you are, Nee-san..."_

_"I will handle her as I see fit," the Weaver muttered shortly. "Do you understand the basics of your mission?"_

_The Angel stood and bowed again, voice once more all business. "I do, Weaver-sama, and in my master Genbu's name I swear to complete your plans to the very best of my ability."_

_"Good. Then here's what you must do..."_


	3. Verse One: Meguri Aeta Koto

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

**

_Verse One: Meguri Aeta Koto   
--A Chance Meeting--_

**

"Like a flower grown lonely,  
I look downwards a little bit, and  
Like a star grown lonely  
I bathe in the setting sun.  
Yet now, after all this, with a composed face,  
I murmur too often to someone  
That I'm not lonely."  
~Tomokazu Seki; "Yuugao" (Moonflower)~

"Daaaaaa!"

The masked monk's yawn echoed gently through the small glade he had picked as a resting spot, bouncing off the surrounding trees and bushes before finally being absorbed by the forest. The middle-aged man stretched luxuriously, spreading his kesa on the brown grass and plopping down on top of it. His cheerful face frowned a little; the dead grass of winter wasn't nearly as comfortable as the green grass of summer.

"Maybe I should have found an inn to stay at no da," he thought aloud to himself, even though he knew the idea was a useless one. He had spent most of the small bit of cash he had paying that delivery boy, and the rest had gone to supplies. "Tasuki-kun had better realize what I'm giving up for this no da."

What Chichiri had given up, he thought wistfully, was some easy work helping an old landlady for the exchange of a free bed all winter, as well as some of the finest cooking Kutou - and probably Konan - had ever tasted. Well, it was no use crying over it now; he'd made his decision two months ago, after he'd gotten his seishi companion's letter, and had started this long commute from the far regions of the Kutou empire to the bandit stronghold on Mount Reikaku.

That letter. Chichiri couldn't help but smile when he thought about it. The delivery boy had shown up at his door looking half dead, waving a beaten-up and water-logged parchment that had come from halfway across the land. "Message for Chichiri-san-" the boy's tired smile dropped. "Oh."

"Doshita no [What's the matter] no da?" Chichiri had asked with concern.

"It's just... sorry, but you're a monk, ain'tcha?"

"That's right no da."

"Well..." the boy kicked the ground unhappily. "I been trekkin' all 'cross Kutou lookin' for you, wore the soles of my shoes out an' everythin'... I was hopin' for a nice tip, but everyone knows monks hardly ever got any cash..."

Chichiri smiled. "Is that it, no da?" He dug around in his kesa until he pulled out ten ryo. Inwardly, he sighed; there went most of his money. It was just a good thing he knew how to get most of his food off the land, even during the middle of winter. "Here you go no da. You must be tired. Do you want to come in and rest na no da? Fuyutsuki-san has dinner going..."

He shook his head hurriedly. "No, that's okay, oji-san! I've got to head back home - I've been away for a while, ya know. Here," he shoved the letter hurriedly into the monk's hands. "Jaa ne, oji-san."

Chichiri remembered watching the boy leave, frowning thoughtfully. __'Am I an "oji-san [uncle; mister]" already no da?'__

Looking back on the memory as he sat in the somewhat chilly clearing, Chichiri had to say "yes" to his question from before. He'd found two silver hairs that morning - he'd plucked them out immediately; Tasuki wouldn't have stopped calling him "ojii-chan [grandpa]" if he hadn't - and like it or not they were clear evidence of a fact the monk had been denying recently: he was most definitely not getting any younger.

"Time goes too fast no da," Chichiri said to himself; he was used to talking out loud, nowadays. "A month ago would have been the fifteenth year since Hotohori-sama's death no da... Daaa, that makes me almost forty no da!" The monk turned blue and chibi, hugging his knees to his chest. "Tasuki-kun's going to give me hell about that no da!"

Thinking about Tasuki reminded the traveling seishi about his purpose; he dug around in his kesa, searching for a muddy letter that he'd been hanging on to for nearly two months. Chichiri pulled out the grimy piece of parchment, brushing off some of the grit that refused to be brushed off. The monk skimmed through the letter again; he couldn't help but smile everytime he read it. If someone else had seen the invitation, they would have thought Tasuki was being unbearably rude; Chichiri was glad he knew his old Suzaku friend well enough to know that sometimes you had to translate what Tasuki was saying to understand what he was _really _saying. The monk carefully unrolled the scroll, which was entitled, "Reikaku Banzai mon ya!" (it still amused him that Tasuki even wrote in a kansai accent) and read it quietly to himself, "translating" as he went:

_"Oi, Chichiri! Long time no see, na? Hai, long time no see no da! It's been a couple years, ain't it? Sure has no da! Hah, I been hangin' around Koji too long, answerin' my own questions like that. Listen, I dunno what the hell we were thinkin' before, spendin' nearly ten years not even talkin' t'each other, but I say we break that streak now or the next place we see each other'll be the afterlife (Translation: Tasuki missed his seishi companion)! _

_"Anyway, jus' 'cause Taka-tachi ain't around don't mean we can't have a little seishi reunion, ne? So how 'bout ya come up t'Reikaku this New Year's? Ya never been t'a Reikaku party, an' no one can really live without comin' t'one of our New Year's bashes! So whadda ya say, huh? I'm settin' a place fer ya at the table, so ya'd better be there! Ya know I wouldn't mind huntin' ya down an' draggin' yer ass here if ya didn't show up (Translation: Tasuki really wanted him to come)! So I'll see ya on New Year's, okay?_

_"Hope this letter reaches ya in time! I paid the damn delivery boy twenty-five ryo, so it'd better get to ya or there'll be someone t'fry!_

_"Tasuki (his name was followed by a chibi drawing of a fanged bandit), Reikaku's kickass leader!_

_"Oh yeah, an' I kinda told th' rest-a th' gang that you'd do some 'seishi' tricks fer 'em. Ya don't mind, do ya? Knew ya wouldn't! Thanks pal!"_

Chichiri folded the letter up again, still chuckling slightly; it never failed to remind him of his loud-mouthed friend and seishi companion. Chichiri had been only too happy when he'd received the letter; despite giving up his free room and board, he had to admit he was pleased to have an invitation to a New Year's party, especially since it had come from one of his few close companions. 

Being with his fellow seishi two years ago had reminded him of what it was like to be around people who he really cared for, and who cared about him; and unlike he'd been able to do fifteen years ago, after the seishi had first broken up, he couldn't get back to enjoying traveling by himself. He missed his seishi friends, even those he had never really known that well; he missed Kouran and Hikou, too, even after - no, _especially_ after all these years.

Chichiri sighed; maybe he'd retire from wandering and settle down in one of the towns around Reikaku's base. ___'Not that I'm that lonely no da...'_ he thought to himself. __'It's just, I'm getting tired of running around all the time, and I bet Tasuki-kun would like it if I was nearby no da...'__ the monk yawned again. __'Kouran, Hikou... minna [everyone]... I bet you never get lonely, with so many people you love nearby, no da...' __ __

Chichiri shook his head; he couldn't let those kind of thoughts get to him. Those were the kinds of things that crazy old men muttered about, they weren't things he should be thinking... at any rate, it didn't matter anymore. He'd be back with Tasuki soon, and even though Chichiri wasn't as close with the bandit as he'd been with his childhood friends or some of the other seishi, the two had a mutual understanding of each other. _'Or, at the very least,'_ he thought with a smile, _'A mutual puzzlement over how in the hell the other one's mind works, no da...' _

That was enough soul-searching for one day. The monk lay back on the chilly ground again, pulling his kasa over his eyes and trying to get in a short nap before he started the final few days' travel to Reikaku.

Chichiri had just dozed off when he felt the life force of another person nearby. The monk didn't bother moving - the ki didn't feel threatening - but inwardly tensed just in case they turned out to be dangerous. A few moments later, a female voice singing a light-hearted tune reached his ears. Chichiri relaxed further, convinced now that whoever it was certainly wasn't a threat.

The monk found himself drifting into a lazy sleep, lulled by the soft, gentle voice of the unknown singer. He had nearly fallen asleep when he heard a rustle in the foliage to his left, followed by an: "Oh!"

Chichiri opened his single eye slowly, reluctant to leave the pleasant haze he'd been in. Quietly, he asked, "Is everything all right na no da?"

The woman's voice rushed back to him in melodic, embarassed tones. "Oh, yes, everything's all right, oji-san... gomen nasai, I was just startled... I didn't expect to find anyone here, and, well, you scared me a little... thought you were dead for a second, actually... er, sumimasen [pardon me], I didn't mean to disturb you."

The monk sat up, tipping his hat off his face and letting it fall to the nape of his neck so he could look at the woman. Chichiri had to admit he was caught a bit off-guard. The new arrival was young, probably in her mid-twenties, and was stunningly attractive. Her raven-blue hair flowed almost like water down her back and to her waist; it framed a face of mature beauty, including the most intriguing, gentle green eyes the monk had ever seen. She had a small, embarassed smile playng on her lips, which made her look almost mysterious. Everything about her held an air of mysteriousness, in fact, from her well-shaped figure to her simple yet complimenting dress. The woman blushed a little. "Ah... oji-san?"

Chichiri smiled, trying to shake off his intrigue. "Oh, sorry about that. I guess I was just a little surprised no da. I don't see many women these days, and I haven't seen one in a while as pretty as you no da."

The young lady blushed, looking down quickly. "Oji-san is teasing me." She looked back up again somewhat shyly. "Or flirting with me, maybe...?"

Chichiri held up his hands. "Nothing like that no da. I'm just telling the truth, that's all." He looked back at her, then around the clearing. "You look tired. Do you want to have a seat na no da?"

"Mm!" she bowed quickly. "Arigatou, if it isn't too much trouble..." the woman took a seat on the part of the kesa Chichiri offered, folding her legs gently underneath her. "Oh, forgive me, you're being so kind and I haven't even told you my name yet! I'm Asatenshi Hikaru."

The monk smiled again. "Morning-Angel Shine. The name fits you no da."

Hikaru looked away, muttering, "Oji-san is flirting again."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Chichiri, a traveler no da."

"Chichiri?" Asatenshi turned around, eyes widening in surprise. "As in, the Suzaku seishi Chichiri?" the monk nodded somewhat reluctantly. Hikaru smiled in near disbelief. "Mm, then the legends are true after all. Won't Obaa-chan [Grandmother] be surprised when I tell her...?"

The seishi had been reaching into his kasa for something to snack on, and her words caught him by surprise. "Excuse me na no da?"

"Oh, I apologize once again, Chichiri-san. You see, I'm from a country that's, well..." she pointed to the west, "pretty far that way, I guess you could say. I work with my family at a shrine to the Mother." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm something of a Priestess to the Mother."

Chichiri pulled out a couple of apples, handing one to his new guest. "The Mother, no da?"

Hikaru nodded, accepting the fruit graciously. "Hai. Where I'm from, that's who we worship. The One Mother, the Creator of the World. To us, the gods you know are, sa..." she blushed. "Meaning no offense Chichiri-san, but the gods are more like servants to the Mother. We think of the seishi legends as good bedtime stories, but not much else." Hikaru smiled. "Though, now that I've met you, I'll have to think of them as a lot more than just stories, won't I?"

"I suppose so no da." 

"Like I said, I'm a Priestess there, though not in the sense you think of them. I guess you could call me a Disciple to the Shrine, something of a monk_ess, haha. I've been trained since I was born on how to guard the temple, ward off demons, all sorts of things. I have to admit I'm pretty handy with Holy Spells..." Hikaru rubbed the back of her head. "Oops! There I go, rambling away. I do that sometimes. I apologize for boring you."_

"I wasn't bored. It's interesting to hear about a different culture no da." Chichiri munched his snack, chewing thoughtfully before asking his next question. "What are you doing so far from home na no da?"

"Ah figuhed 'oo'd ashk 'at," she said around a mouthful of apple. Hikaru blushed and swallowed quickly. "My younger sister lives in Konan, studying religion in a Suzaku temple not too far from here. I haven't seen her in a while, and we decided to meet on Mount Reikaku, since it'd be the easiest location for me to find seeing as how I'm new to the area and all."

Chichiri blinked in surprise. "You said you're going to Mount Reikaku na no da?" Hikaru nodded; the monk laughed. "I think Fate must have planned this no da. That's where I'm heading too, believe it or not no da."

"Fate?" Hikaru looked away and chuckled a little. "Now I know Chichiri-san is flirting with me... next thing I know he'll be asking to accompany me to the mountain..."

Chichiri smiled. "Well, it does seem silly to go all that way by yourself no da. You're new to the land, and you might run into trouble no da. Konan's a pretty decent country if you know the right places, but it can still be dangerous. Besides, I could use a companion no da. To be honest, with the way I move around I'm alone a lot, probably too much no da." The monk stood, offering Hikaru a hand up. "So how about it na no da? I'll protect you, and you can keep me company no da. I'd love to learn that song you were singing earlier - it's very catchy no da."

The Asatenshi woman smiled, accepting the hand and rising to her feet. "I don't know how I could ever turn down an offer like that. Very well, Chichiri-san," Hikaru turned and pointed towards the north, "we'll go to Reikaku together!"

Chichiri watched his new companion march off. "Eh, that's great no da... eto... Hikaru-san?"

"Eh?"

"Mount Reikaku..." a chibi Chichiri pointed the opposite direction she was going. "Is that way no da."

Hikaru face-vaulted.

***

"Chichiri-san, may I ask you a question?" Hikaru queried as she helped her new companion set camp for the evening.

"I told you already, you don't have to say that everytime you want to know something no da," Chichiri reminded her. The two had been traveling together for most of the afternoon and had become fast friends, but Hikaru was still almost unbearably polite. "Go ahead; what's your question no da?"

"Well, I feel a little silly, not asking this sooner," she began, spreading one of her own blankets on the ground to use as a makeshift bed, "but you never told me why you were going to Mount Reikaku. Are you meeting someone there as well?"

"You could say that no da," he remarked, rummaging in his kasa until he pulled out his own blankets. "My friend Tasuki-kun, another Suzaku seishi, invited me to a New Year's party no da. He's a, well, he's the leader of the Reikaku bandits no da."

"Hontou ni [Really]?" Hikaru looked up, smiling excitedly. "_Another seishi? That's really amazing! Do you think it would be all right if I met him? I know that must sound foolish, but meeting you servants to the gods has been a little like having a fairytale come to life." The young woman, having finished making her bed for the night, stood and started to walk over to help her companion gather firewood._

"It's all right with me if you met him no da," Chichiri agreed, dumping some dry leaves into the center of the clearing. The monk smiled a little. "Although, I can't promise you a warm welcome. Tasuki-kun doesn't like girls very much no da."

"Eh!?" Hikaru had been halfway between her bed and where Chichiri was sitting; at his announcement, she froze. The young woman's unusual green eyes widened, and she blushed violently. "Y-you mean... T-Tasuki-san l-l-likes... other... g... guys...?"

Chichiri laughed at her reaction, holding up his hands. "No, it's nothing like that no da! Tasuki-kun doesn't _prefer_ men, women just annoy him no da. I think it has something to do with his sisters... you'd have to ask him no da."

The monk's traveling companion breathed a sigh of relief. "Yokatta [Thank goodness]. I was nervous for a moment there." Hikaru watched curiously as Chichiri dug around in his kasa. "What are you looking for, Chichiri-san?"

"Some flint no da. I want to get a fire going, so we can have a hot meal no da." He made a face of disgust as his hand touched something squishy. Chichiri held up his find, revealing a bunch of smashed berries. "Daa... I really need to clean this out more often no da..."

Hikaru hid a giggle behind her sleeve. "Chichiri-san is going about that an awfully primal way."

"Primal no da?"

"Mm-hm!" she nodded, taking a seat across from the monk and next to the unlit fire. "Here, I'll take care of it. Just watch." Hikaru closed her eyes, cupping her hands under her chin; had Chichiri known about the Western style of praying, he would have compared it to that action. The young woman took a deep breath, then slowly spread her hands, palms-down, over the pile of dry leaves and sticks. "_Holy Mother, who's love burns like a crimson flame for all eternity, grant me the warmth of your compassion, the blaze of your tenderness, and the light of your hope. Eternal truth shine through._"

Chichiri mouth dropped open in astonishment as the twigs sparked and flared, a fire silently roaring into life. In moments the clearing was filled with the warm light of the magical creation. "Suge [Amazing] no da. How in the world did you do that no da?"

Hikaru giggled, waving a hand as if to brush away the compliment. "Chichiri-san is too kind. Disciples to the Mother are taught Holy Magic from birth, and conjuring a little fire is one of the simpler spells."

"Well, it's certainly impressive to me no da." The monk rubbed the back of his head. "Now I'm the one who feels silly no da. Here I was offering to protect you when you can obviously take care of yourself no da." A teasing smile tugged on the side of his face; he just couldn't resist. "Maybe Hikaru-san is the one flirting with me, agreeing to accompany me like that na no da?"

The Disciple giggled, turning her back on Chichiri and hurrying over to her bag. "Or maybe she just wanted the company as much as Chichiri-san did." Hikaru dug around in her sack, sifting through the contents until she found some supplies for a meal. "I'll get dinner started in a minute."

Chichiri half-stood. "That's all right, you started the fire so I'll get the meal no da. I don't want to feel completely useless after all, no da."

Hikaru waved a dismissive hand. "I told you, that fire was an easy trick. I'm in the mood to cook tonight, anyway, and I know just what I want." She looked over, knowing that the monk wouldn't feel right having her do everything, and smiled. "We'll compromise, okay? Tonight, you can build a protection barrier around camp, and I'll take care of the cooking. Tomorrow we'll switch duties."

He nodded, settling back on his makeshift bed. "Good idea no da." Chichiri was just about to start the protection spell, when he had a thought. He glanced over his shoulder at Hikaru, a curious look on his masked face. "Hikaru-san... how did you know I could make barriers na no da?"

The young woman didn't look up, and her voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as ever, but Chichiri noticed that she had nearly dropped her cooking supplies when he'd asked his question. "Oh... well, like I said before, the seishi are like bedtime stories where I'm from. We don't believe in them, but we sure know a lot about them, including what their gifts from Suzaku were. You're a sorceror, of sorts, so I assumed you knew a basic protection spell."

Chichiri didn't believe her answer for a second, but he decided not to push the matter. Maybe his new companion had some psychic abilities she was embarassed about; who knew when it came to "Disciples of the Mother"? "That makes sense no da. Let me know when dinner's ready no da."

The monk turned his back to Hikaru again, and the camp sank into comfortable silence. Chichiri completed the barrier swiftly, then dropped into a light meditation; something he had neglected doing for a few days. His companion completed her own tasks, then roused the monk for the simple but good meal. The two ate quietly, until Hikaru finally sighed wistfully, voicing her thoughts. "I can't wait to meet Tasuki-san. I wonder what he's like?"

"Loud," Chichiri said with a chuckle, "and ill-tempered no da. But he makes up for it by being brave, and about as loyal as they come no da. That's one of the best traits to have: loyalty, I mean no da."

"Bravery too," Hikaru remarked.

"I suppose," Chichiri halfway agreed. "But I've known brave people who weren't loyal, and I've never known a loyal person who wasn't brave no da. Loyalty - the desire to protect, help, and always stand by those you care about - creates bravery, I think no da."

Hikaru smiled in admiration at her friend. "Chichiri-san is very wise."

"Not really no da. Just experienced no da."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Maybe no da," he shrugged, chuckling a little. "I guess I must not be that wise, or I would have been able to answer that no da."

The young woman frowned, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "Now Chichiri-san is just confusing!" she grumbled.

He laughed, finishing off his small dinner. "That's because I don't make sense when I'm this tired no da. Why don't we clean up and go to bed, and tomorrow I'll try to be wiser and not as confusing no da."

"Mm!" Hikaru picked up his bowl and her own. "There's a stream nearby; I'll go clean these off."

"I'll help you no da."

Chichiri started to stand, but his companion pushed him back to the ground with a light shove to the chest. "I'll take care of it, Chichiri-san; it was my food that got them dirty after all. Besides, I know how tiring it can be to build those protection barriers. If it makes you feel better you can take dish duty tomorrow."

The monk wasn't used to having someone around to help him with the daily chores; it was a nice feeling, if not a strange one. "If you really don't mind no da..."

"No problem," she assured him, standing with the two bowls and cooking pot. "I'll be back in a few minutes, but just in case you're asleep by then, oyasumi [good night]."

"Oyasumi, Hikaru-san no da."

The Disciple to the Mother walked quickly out of the clearing and to the nearby stream. She knelt over the water, long raven-blue hair falling across her face, and started the task of scrubbing out the dishware. Once she was done, she knelt back on her haunches and pulled her hair back over her shoulders, turning her eyes to the bright, full moon above. "Another meeting? Oh, all right."

Hikaru closed her eyes, soul slipping away from her physical body and back onto the spiritual plane. She looked across the black void, watching as a pinion of light appeared, melding and taking shape into another woman. Two pairs of green eyes met across the darkness; one pair narrowed angrily, while the other glared back with a look of defiance in the mystic pools.

_"So, I see you've found one."_

_"So have you. That makes us tied right now, I suppose. Don't worry, I'll break that tie soon enough."_

_"Don't underestimate me, Nee-san. I can be very dangerous when I have a mind to be."_

_"Haha, threatening me? Not very ladylike, or_ angelic of you, is it?"__

_"You're a frivolous fool, laughing at a time like this. But we'll see who gets the last laugh."_

_"Don't think that just because I'm laughing I'm not serious about this. You may be my sister, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hold back."_

_"Now who's threatening whom, Nee-san?"_

_"Tease me if you will, but don't take what I said lightly. The lives of two men are at stake. I won't lose."_

_"That's one thing we have in common, then, because neither will I."_

_"I'll see you soon, I suppose?"_

_"Very soon. Oyasumi, Nee-san."_

_"Oh, being polite now, are we? Very well, I'll play your little game. Oyasumi, Nee-san."_

Hikaru opened her physical eyes, which were still fixed on the bright moon above. The woman set her lips in a grim frown of determination. "You don't know what you're getting into, Nee-san," she breathed quietly. "You had better watch your step."

"Hikaru-san, no da?"

"Eep!" The young woman whirled, peering towards the edge of the forest and into a familiar masked face. She put a hand to her heart. "Oh, Chichiri-san! You scared me half to death."

"Gomen no da," his eyebrows were bunched together in a look of obvious concern. "You were taking a long time, and I guess I got worried no da. Daijoubu na no da?"

"Mm!" she assured him, holding up one of the clean bowls. "I didn't mean to worry you, I'm just a stickler for clean dishes. It's the perfectionist in me, heh. Go on and head back to camp, I'll be there in a second."

"Okay no da," Chichiri sent her one last small, concerned look, then turned his back on the young lady. "Don't take too long no da. I want to get an early start tomorrow so we can be at Reikaku before sundown no da."

"I won't! Oyasumi again!"

Hikaru watched him disappear into the surrounding trees; her green eyes softened slightly as she set her stubborn jaw in a tight line. Her tone was full of foreboding as she whispered quietly to the night air: "You had better watch your step as well, Chichiri-san."

**********  
**********

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: June 27, 2003, 10:45 PM_

*Springs from the woodwork, flashing a victory sign* Kon-wa, minna-san [Evening, everyone]! It's great to be back in the ficcing world, and the good Lord knows I've missed it these past few months! But nevermind about all that! I decided to pounce these little notes on you at the end of chapters, mostly because I noticed that some other authors did it and it seems like a good way to communicate with the readers. So, here I am!

**Random Chapter Comments** Well, let's see, this was mostly an introduction chapter, so not a whole lot to say. You've met one of the Asatenshi sisters in the flesh - but is she the good one or the bad one? You'll just have to wait to find out! *Evil cackling* And for those of you wondering where Tasuki and Koji are, fear not, for I will have them delivered to you shortly, as promised.  
Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, this puppy takes place quite a bit into the future, making all of our heroes well out of our age range (well, mine anyway). **Warning, you are entering The Making the Fic Zone** I gotta admit, that was a little weird for me at first, just because I've never written a story where my main characters were over thirty, but I got used to it pretty easy. Let's face it, Tasuki and Chichiri aren't going to really change, other than maturing a little bit. But they're like fine wine, doncha know, just getting better with age. ^_~ Come to think of it, the youngest character in this story is nineteen - though he acts a lot younger - making this, on average, the oldest cast of characters I've ever dealt with! Crazy stuff.

**Answering Reviews** Spectrum made a good point in their review about my amount of Japanese. Sometimes I remember that not everyone has as firm (well, moderately firm) grip on the language as I do... and sometimes I forget. *Sweatdrop* So here it is, ladies and gents, a quick crash course in Japanese!  
--"Wa" - a particle used after the subject in the sentence. It doesn't really have a translation, but when subbed it usually translated to "is, are, was," etc... you get the idea.  
--"Deshou?" - don't know _why_ I didn't translate this in the text. It basically means "right?/isn't that so?"   
--The Japanese language, unlike English, goes "subject + object + verb," instead of "subject + verb + object." So, instead of saying, "Kiss my ass" it would be "Watashi no ketsu ga kisu" - directly translated to "My ass kiss." ^.~ Not too tricky, right?  
--Particles like "ga" and "na" don't really translate. "Ga" just typically follows an object, and "na" will - on some occasions - follow an adjective. Such as "Kirei na" (Beautiful, pretty) or "Shizuku na" (Quiet, silent).  
*Glances up, sweatdropping* Somewhere along the way on this, I went a little overboard, ne? Prob'ly ought to stop now... well, I'll cover other things with the chapters as they come! Hey, if I keep this up I'll have half my readers understanding Japanese (er, to an extent)... wouldn't that be nice...?

Oh, and yes, Val-chan, I can believe that you would dislike Umbridge more. Umbridge is, after all, the devil incarnate. Who else wants to punch in her piggy face? Show of hands? Anybody?

**Random Story #1: The Chichiri Computer** Okay, I can't resist, I just have to tell everyone about this. The other day I got bored, right, so I decided to make a theme for my computer. Understand that this is the family computer, and not everyone is as... hm... "tolerant" of animé as I am. Well, just to make things fun, I decided to theme my computer in a way that would annoy everyone except myself. I give you... the Chichiri Theme! *Angels sing*   
First, we have the "Giant Chichiri Face" desktop background, which is exactly what it says - it's that enlarged picture of his chibi little face, taking up _my entire desktop._ Adorable to me, somewhat spooky to my family. Next we've got the irritating sound effects: everytime you do something wrong, or the computer asks you a question, or pretty much anytime a window comes up, you get "Daaaa!"'d at. Personally, I think it's hilarious, but I'm sure nobody else will. ^_^ Top it off with a Phoenix-shaped comet cursor and a screensaver with the scrolling words "Na No Da!", and there you have it! A "Chichiri No Da" Theme that's sure to have your relatives tearing out their hair! I just can't _wait_ for my stepsibs to come over...

**And Finally... Verse Preview?** Hm, I guess that's everything I could possibly cover in this chapter. So what's coming next? Well, I want to be as discreet as possible, but here's the basic lineup for next week: Three bandits, two Asatenshi sisters, a monk, punch-drunk love, and a closet. ^_^ Also, you'll get to meet my favorite original character in the next verse (look for the green-haired bandit with the hand-me-downs), so look forward to that!   
Looks like that's all! I'll be back next week, same time, same place! Jaa ne! *Flies away*

Your Friendly Neighborhood Otaku,  
Dee ~_^ 


	4. Verse Two: Hajimari wo Kore Kara

.link { FONT: bold 12px verdana; COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A:hover { COLOR: #349901 } 

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

Free Lake Scene Screen Saver 

  


_Translation Note: I didn't translate "Itadakimasu" in here because I don't know how I could directly translate it. I've seen it translated as "Let's eat," "Thanks for the meal," "I'll eat it now," "Bon appetite," and the list goes on and on. Basically, it's just something you would say before you ate. *Glances up* Yeesh, I sure wasted a lot of space just to say that, didn't I?  
"Teeme," is a rude form of "you," but it has several different translations so I didn't bracket that, either ("Damn you" and "bastard" would probably be the best interpretations). And also, I didn't translate the "curse-out" section in this chapter for a reason. My reason? It's more fun this way ^.~ _

**Verse Two: Hajimari wo Kore Kara  
--Since This is Only the Beginning-- **

"Beyond the moon, blue searchlights overlap.  
You alighted suddenly, angel.  
So who are you?  
Now the door of fate is opening,  
So just fall in love.  
Don't let this anxious moment go.  
Don't stop, baby!"  
~Wada Hiroki; "Mystic Eyes"~ 

The woman was unbearably, unbelievably and unimaginably beautiful. Her raven-blue hair, fluttering lightly in the wind, made her gently sloping shoulders and thin, angelic face appear even more stunning than they already were. Her perfect lips were formed in a perfect, intriguing half-smile, as if she were always laughing at a private joke. She had an exquisite figure, too, which was accented even more by her simple yet elegant lavender dress. And those eyes! Gods above, there was enough humor, enough sparkling wit, enough mysterious flavor in those emerald eyes to drive a man insane!

There was simply no way a woman like that was actually walking up to Mount Reikaku, no way in hell, heaven or on earth that someone that stunningly gorgeous would actually be coming to the bandit stronghold. More impossible still was the fact that she was coming to the mountain with the escort of a confirmed monk and very confirmed bachelor. It was just too good to be true; and yet, by some strange miracle of fate, it was completely true. 

As he watched her walk up the path to the stronghold, he itched to run down and meet her, to grab her hands and propose on the spot. He hadn't even spoken to her yet, but it looked as if this was it. Yessir, after thirty-four long years, it had finally happened.

Koji, co-leader of the Reikaku bandits, was in love.

"Ch, what th' hell does 'Chiri think he's doin', draggin' some woman along with him?" The rough voice of Koji's fiery companion demanded, snapping him out of his romantic reverie. "I never said nothin' in my letter about bringin' girls along fer the trip."

Koji had and always would consider himself Tasuki's best friend. This gave him special rights above the other gang members, such as being the only person who could whack the leader over the head without receiving (much) punishment. He now took full advantage of his privilege, giving the seishi bandit a hard slap to the back of the skull. "Urusai [Shut up], Genrou! Don't talk like that about sucha wonderful woman, 'specially when you ain't even met her!"

"Wonderful?" Tasuki raised an eyebrow, jerking his head in the direction of the woman coming up the path. "How c'n ya say she's wonderful when _you_ ain't even met her? An' anyway, don't get too excited, 'cause if she's here with Chichiri doncha think that prob'ly means somethin'?"

"N-nani yo!?" Koji stared at his friend in disbelief, waving his arms wildly to make his point. "No way is that beautiful woman datin' that monk!"

"Eh? An' why couldn't she be?"

"BECAUSE HE'S A MONK, AHOU [MORON]!" 

The air from Koji's lungs sent Tasuki flying chibily down the path. He tumbled along until he finally came to a bumpy stop at Chichiri's feet. The bandit looked up, giving a fanged grin and waving a hand in greeting. "Oi, 'Chiri. 'Bout time ya showed up!"

The monk smiled. "I missed you too no da."

Chichiri's female companion looked down at the somewhat dirt-streaked Reikaku resident, one hand at her mouth in surprise. She couldn't help blushing a bit as her eyes trailed over the man - she had not known bandits could be so attractive! "D... d... daijoubu ka [Are you all right], oji-san?"

"Oji-san!?" Tasuki jumped to his feet, shaking his head angrily. "Nuh-uh, I'm still young enough fer a 'Nii-san [brother],' Nee-san!" He jerked a thumb at himself. "But _you_ c'n call me Gen-sama!"

"Eh...?" Hikaru ducked her head. "Sumimasen, Gen-sama, I had no idea that a government official was coming to Mount Reikaku as well! Is this some kind of national party? Am I intruding?"

Tasuki stared at her blankly. Chichiri sweatdropped. "She's not from around here no da." He turned towards Hikaru. "This is Tasuki-kun, also known as Genrou, my friend from the Suzaku Shichiseishi no da."

Hikaru jumped at the announcement. "This is Tasuki-san?" she asked her monk companion quietly. He gave a confirming nod; the Asatenshi sister blushed brightly. "You never mentioned that he was so good-looking," she whispered. 

Chichiri sweatdropped again. "Well, I suppose he is, but _I_ never thought of him like that no da..." 

Tasuki tapped his foot impatiently. "Oi, what're you two whisperin' a-" 

A tanned arm shoved the seishi bandit out of the way, sending him flying across the ground once again. A dark blue-haired head appeared in front of Hikaru where Tasuki had been, smiling his friendliest. "An' I'm Mitsuragi Koji, co-leader of th' Reikaku bandits an' Genrou's pal! And who might you be, miss?"

"Atashi wa Asatenshi Hikaru. Hajimemashite [Pleased to meet you]."

"Yoroshiku [A pleasure], Hikaru-san! Eh, you don't mind if I call ya by yer first name, do ya?"

"Not at all, Mitsuragi-san," Hikaru said distractedly, looking over the bandit's shoulder.

"Oh, no need fer all that! Jus' call me Koji! Heh, t'be honest, nobody's ever called me 'Mitsuragi-san' b'fore."

"Da... Koji, na no da?"

The bandit wasn't paying attention to Chichiri. Eyes closed in a smile, he continued his monologue. "But hey, enough about me. What brings you t'Mount Reikaku?"

"Koji na no da?"

"It'd be nice to..." Koji opened his eyes and found that he was talking to air. "Eh? Hikaru-san?"

A chibi Chichiri poked him on the shoulder. The bandit turned to look at the monk, who jerked a chibi finger to the right. Koji followed the finger's path, eyes coming to rest on a concerned Hikaru, kneeling next to Tasuki. "Daijoubu ka, Tasuki-san? You're not hurt, are you?"

Koji turned to complete stone, squiggly lines appearing behind him as the backdrop turned to a dark blue. Chichiri patted his shoulder pityingly. "There, there no da."

Tasuki rubbed his head, looking up into the pair of green pools. Hikaru reached out a hand to help him, delicate mouth formed in a small "o" of worry. "Did you break anything? Here, let me give you a hand up..."

The bandit ignored her hand, standing on his own and looking at the girl suspiciously. "Asatenshi, eh? Never heard of anyone with a last name like that. Pretty weird if ya ask me, a family with the last name 'Mornin' Angel.'"

Tasuki's tanned counterpart clenched a fist, fire in his eyes and an anger vein on his forehead. "Gen... rou..." 

Chichiri hurriedly intervened. "Like I said, Hikaru-san's not from around here no da. She's from... well, she never really specified, but a country to the west of here no da."

Tasuki, recovering with surprising speed from his tumble, grinned devilishly at his seishi companion and nudged him in the ribs. "Ah, a foreigner, is it? I never knew ya went fer that type-a girl, but hey, I'm glad t'see ya fin'lly decidin' t'settle down."

"It isn't like that no da," Chichiri said with a small blush.

He was ignored by a second bandit for the second time that day. Tasuki turned, looked at Hikaru and stroked his chin. "Hm... Heheh, I never knew ya was a pedophile either."

"NANI YO NO DA!?"

"Well, look at her!" Tasuki pointed at the now brightly blushing young woman. "Ya gotta be old enough t'be her father! What is she, eighteen, nineteen? An' how old are ya now?"

"I'm thirty-nine no da." Chichiri grumbled irritably. "And she's twenty-six, she told me so herself no da. I would have had to have been _thirteen to be her father no-"_

Hikaru flew out of nowhere, brandishing a mallet. She slammed Chichiri into the ground, one eyebrow twitching slightly. "Many apologies, but you should know to never_, __ever reveal a woman's age, Chichiri-san!"_

A chibi Koji grinned behind the monk's back, clenching his fists happily. "Yoshi [All right]! She's spunky, _an'_ she ain't too young fer me. Paafekuto...!"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "I jus' remembered why I stay away from girls," he muttered to himself. The bandit folded his arms across her chest, waiting until Hikaru had put her mallet away and Chichiri was back on his feet before asking his next impatient question. "Well 'Chiri, if she ain't yer girlfriend, then what's she doin' up here?"

"Hikaru-san was supposed to be meeting her sister, but when she heard there was a seishi here she asked if she could meet you no da," Chichiri explained, rubbing at the lump on his head. "Itai [Ouch], Hikaru-san, I never knew you packed such a punch no da..."

The young woman blushed, fluttering around the monk and dusting him off. "Gomen gomen, Chichiri-san! I completely lost my temper for a moment, I feel so awful! You _are all right, aren't you? I didn't hurt you badly, did I? Oh, I'm so embarassed!"_

"Oi, Asatenshi," Tasuki growled, already beginning to lose his thin patience, "ya've met me, so why doncha get t'findin' yer sister? This ain't really a place fer women, if ya know what I mean."

Hikaru looked up from where she was bandaging the lump on Chichiri's skull. "Ah!" The young woman glanced around with a look of worry in her green eyes. "That may be a problem... it's strange, we were supposed to meet at the top of the mountain, but it doesn't look like she's around. I'm a few days behind schedule, but I know she wouldn't simply desert me... I hope nothing happened to her..."

"So yer stuck here 'till she shows up?" Tasuki queried. She nodded, rubbing the back of her head in embarassment. The bandit sighed. "Great. This is jus' what I didn't need."

Hikaru bowed to the hot-headed seishi. "I apologize for my intrusion upon your home, Tasuki-san. If it would please you, I can find a place to stay in the village at the foot of the mountain."

"Really? Well ain't that nice of-"

"Genrou!" Koji cut into his friend's conversation once again. "Forcin' a woman t'stay in one-a those sleazy inns!? We're supposed t'be noble bandits, y'know!" He turned towards Hikaru, smiling a little. "Don't mind Genrou, he's got a thing against women, but I'm sure he'd never make ya go back t'the foot-a th' mountain after ya climbed all this way."

The Disciple's eyes shone. "Then you will allow me to stay the night here?"

"Of course!" Koji assured her. "In fact, when yer sister does finally show up, how 'bout th' two of ya stick around fer th' New Year's celebration? I know I'd love t'have ya, an' so would th' rest of th' gang!"

"I wouldn't!" Tasuki angrily interjected.

"You don't count ya woman-hater!" his friend snapped over his shoulder. He turned back to Hikaru, all smiles. "So, how 'bout it, na?"

"Oh, no, I don't think I can," Hikaru told him, blushing slightly at the hold he still had on her hands. "I wouldn't feel right, intruding upon your lifestyle, especially if Tasuki-san didn't approve..."

"What? Genrou? Ch, his opinion don't matter! He's th' leader, but I'm his adviser-"

"Yer my _sidekick, ahou!"_

"-So really I'm th' one who gets th' last say, y'see what I mean...?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly..."

While the blue-haired bandit desperately tried to convince Hikaru to stay, Tasuki turned to Chichiri. He scowled, muttering under his breath, "Koji's sure actin' weird. Ever since that girl showed up ya'd think he owned the damn mountain..."

Chichiri smiled. "I wouldn't let it worry you no da. People tend to act a little strange when they're in love no da. He might be trying to impress her a little bit no da."

"In love!?" Tasuki shook his head violently. "No way! Koji only jus' met her! No one c'n fall in love in five minutes."

"Okay, maybe not love, but he's definitely attracted to her no da," the monk remarked, turning his eyes somewhat sadly on the older of the two bandits. "It's a surprising feeling to have, you'd know that as well as I would. It's no wonder if he's acting a little differently no da."

Tasuki snorted, looking away. He didn't like to be reminded of his first and only brief romance - if you could even call it that. "Ch, lookit the ways he's droolin' over her. Women take away every last trace-a reason an' manhood a guy has. It's disgustin'."

"I think it's cute no da."

"I think yer both nuts!"

Chichiri glanced back at Koji, who was still arguing with the Asatenshi sister. "Hikaru-san won't stay until she gets your permission no da. Maybe you should help Koji out no da."

Tasuki looked at his seishi ally blankly. "'Chiri, what, out of all th' years you've known me, makes y'think I'd _ever_ do somethin' like that?"

"Hikaru-san is a likeable person... and Koji _is_ your best friend no da..." He glanced at Tasuki out of the corner of his masked eye, waiting for a reaction.

The bandit growled unhappily. "Ya had t'bring up that friend thing... damn insightful, persuasive monk..."

Chichiri smiled again. "I missed you too no da."

The bandit put on a fake grin and waved towards the duo. "Oi, Nee-san! What's with all th' arguin', na? All I said was that Reikaku wasn't much of a place fer women, I never said ya couldn't stay!"

Koji looked over Hikaru's shoulder at Tasuki; the Asatenshi woman whirled to face him."Hontou ni [Really]!?" both cried jubilantly.

"Well, why not? It ain't like ya got the plague're anythin'... I'm sure the gang'd like t'have ya... an', an', oh hell, if ya really want ya c'n stay fer New Year's, too. Not like ya got any other plans, bein' new t'the area an' all." 

"Ah!" Hikaru turned, bowing hurriedly to Koji. "Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san!" 

Reikaku's co-leader waved a dismissive hand, closing his eyes and smiling broadly. "C'mon, call me Koji! An' really, it was nothin', I was jus' doin' what any other hospitable person woulda done. An' anyway, ya seem like an interestin' person, an' I'd really like t'get t'know ya better..."

He opened his eyes and discovered he was talking to Chichiri. The monk waved cheerfully. "Na no da!" Noticing the bandit's confused look, Chichiri pointed behind Koji.

He turned around, only to find Hikaru and Tasuki walking into the stronghold. The young woman was talking excitedly to the bandit, who was obviously forcing a smile. "Domo arigatou gozaimashita, Tasuki-san! I won't forget this! You're such a kind person, Tasuki-san, to allow me to intrude upon your home! Honestly, I can't thank you enough!"

Koji fell over, one foot twitching slightly in the evening air. "Not again..."

***

Koji flopped down in a chair around the main Reikaku dining table. "Man, am I starved! Takin' Hikaru-san on that full tour was really tirin'! Hah, sometimes I ferget how big th' stronghold is!"

"I had no idea it was that large no da," Chichiri remarked, courteously pulling out a chair for the Asatenshi woman to sit in. "No wonder you can fit so many bandits in here no da."

"I don't see why I had t'get dragged along..." Tasuki grumbled into a cup of sake.

Hikaru took a seat between Tasuki and Chichiri, with Koji across from her. She turned to the red-headed bandit, frowning slightly. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"As a matter-a fact-"

"It was no trouble at all!" Koji interrupted. "It ain't like we get guests all the time're anythin', so it's nice to give a tour once in a while." He scanned the room, trying to prevent Tasuki from putting in his two mon; the last thing Koji wanted was for Hikaru to feel like she wasn't welcome! "Hm, I wonder who's turn it was t'cook dinner t'night? Hope it was Genji-kun, he's just about th' only one who knows more'n one 'r two recipes!"

"You take turns with the cooking na no da?" Chichiri asked, catching on to Koji's plan of keeping Tasuki from saying something rude to Hikaru. "That must be hard, making food for everyone no da."

"Ah, it ain't too bad. Our numbers've kinda thinned out, with th' depression only havin' ended a couple years ago an' all, so there ain't as many guys t'cook for."

"By the way, how is the gang doing na no da? Have things gotten better after that mess in Konan no da?" the monk wondered.

Tasuki took over the narrative, nodding in confirmation to Chichiri's hopes. "Mm-hm, we got our first new members in almost three years a couple days ago: two guys named Ryo 'n' Ken, real skilled folks. There's food enough t'go around the thirty-odd boys we got livin' here, an' we got enough money 'n' supplies this year that we c'n actually _have_ a New Year's party - we ain't had a real one in almost five years. Yup, things're lookin' pretty good right about now."

"Well, there is that one thing..." Koji began.

"Ah, I don't wanna think about that right now," Tasuki told him, waving a hand and sipping his sake. "Not a week b'fore the big party. We'll worry about 'em afterwards... _way_ afterwards, if I have my way."

"Are there some problems in the gang na no da?" Chichiri wondered. "If there's anything I can do to help..."

"Nah, it's nothin' like that," his seishi companion assured him. "Jus' this rival gang, y'know, th' real dirty-fightin' kind. They huff an' puff a lot but they ain't much of a threat."

"Genrou, they've tried t'kill our guys a couple times, an' damn near succeeded. They're definitely a threat," Koji warned him.

"Not now! I told ya, I don't wanna have ta think about those jerks."

"If we don't think about 'em then those attacks'll jus' get worse."

"I know that, but it ain't like worryin' about it's gonna do us any good!"

"Fine, but don't blame me when th' stronghold goes up in flames one night..."

"AH! Okay, okay, I'll post a couple guys t'keep watch at night! Would that make ya feel better!?"

"Sure would!" Koji grinned devilishly at his friend. "Where would ya be without me?"

"Prob'ly a lot less worried about that rival gang, thank you!"

"Yer very welcome!"

Hikaru blinked, watching the two bandits curiously. "Is this how they settle everything around here?"

"Probably no da," Chichiri said with a chuckle. "They're a little like a married couple no da. Dysfunctional, but they balance one another out well no da."

Tasuki had overheard the monk's comment. He snickered, pointing at Koji. "Oi, if we're a married couple, then yer the naggy wife." 

"Oh yeah!? Well then yer the lazy alcoholic husband!" Koji retorted.

"Does that mean I get to be your love-child, minna-san [everyone]!?"

The four at the table jumped. All eyes turned to look into the grinning face of a young bandit. He was cleaner-cut than the rest of the group, with surprisingly vivid purple eyes and a smile that was both too innocent and too mischievous for his nineteen-odd years. His mop of messy green hair was kept back by a gold headband, and the jewelry he wore around his neck and on his ears looked suspiciously like the ones Tasuki had worn during his seishi travels. He bowed quickly, green braid of hair swishing behind him. "Konban wa [Good evening], Gen-sama, Koji-sama!" The young man held out a tray of food, flashing his sweet, teasing smile again. "I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation, but dinner's ready, te kanjii!"

Tasuki grinned, taking the tray from the young man. "Ah, don't worry about it Genji-kun! Yer meals're so great ya c'd interrupt me durin' a battle an' I wouldn't care!"

The younger bandit grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Arigatou, Gen-sama..." He looked over at Chichiri and Hikaru, giving a quick bow. "Ah! I didn't know we had company!"

"Konban wa, Genji-kun. I'm Chichiri, and this is Asatenshi Hikaru-san no da," the monk said with a small wave.

"Hajimemashite!" Hikaru said with a friendly smile.

"Yoroshiku, Nee-san, Oji-san." 

Tasuki snickered at the monk. "Oji-san..." Chichiri tried not to pay attention to him. 

Genji looked back at the two bandits. "I need to go pass out the rest of the food. But, um... Gen-sama, Koji-sama... does it taste all right?"

"Itadakimasu!" Both older men bit into their rice and chicken meal, paused for a moment, then gave grins and thumbs-up. "Another great job!"

Genji blushed with pleasure, pointing over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon, I'll just go take care of everyone else!" The youth turned around, giggling giddily to himself as he pranced off, saying in a sing-song voice: "Gen-sama and Koji-sama gave _me a compliment! Wai, wai, wai, te kanjii!"_

Chichiri, who had noticed Genji's clothing, looked at the two bandits accusingly. "Things have gotten so bad you had to give him your hand-me-downs na no da?"

Tasuki and Koji held up their hands in protest. "Nothin' like that!" Tasuki assured him. 

"He _wanted t'wear that stuff," Koji added, sinking his teeth into his meal again. "Th' kid showed up four years ago, right in th' middle-a th' depression, barely fifteen years old an' askin' to be a member. Genrou 'n' I were reluctant about it at first, him bein' jus' a kid an' all, but th' two of us were let in when we were young so we figgered it couldn't hurt him."_

"Is Genji his real name?" Hikaru asked, watching as the young man practically danced around the tables, handing out trays to the rest of the bandits. "Or do the two of you give out nicknames?"

Tasuki shrugged. "That's what he told us t'call him; won't give us his real name. Says he's been hearin' a lot about me 'n' Koji since he was a kid, an' been callin' himself by that since he was jus' as young." The bandit chuckled. "Ah, I'll deal with the hero-worshippin' act. He's a good kid, an' he makes the best meals I've ever tasted."

Hikaru and Chichiri looked down at their plates, then with an enthusiastic, "Itadakimasu!" dove right in.

"Ah! Oishii [delicious]!"

"It really is amazing no da!"

The monk was halfway through his second bite when he heard a pounding on the door behind him. "Hm? What was that na no da?"

"What was what?" Tasuki asked, pausing midway through his meal demolition.

Chichiri turned around, pointing towards a small door in the dining hall. "I thought I heard a noise from over there no da..." _Whump whump! _"There! I just heard it again no da!"

Koji raised an eyebrow. "That's jus' a storage closet. Shouldn't be nothin' in there..." The older bandit looked over, noticing that Tasuki was tugging on his sleeve. "Eh? Nani?" He muttered something in a barely audible voice. "Whazzat?"

"I said that th' pris'ner's, um, awake..."

"WHA!?" Koji grabbed Tasuki by the collar of his coat. 

"Ya said ya wanted t'know when she woke up..."

"You stuffed that poor kid in th' _storage closet_!?"

"Poor kid my a-"

"Minna-san, forgive me for interrupting, but what in the world are you talking about?" Hikaru asked, glancing over her shoulder as another loud _thump echoed from behind the door._

Koji let go of his friend, putting his chin in his hands. "Earlier this afternoon Genrou 'n' I were makin' th' rounds when we found this woman hangin' out real close t'the hideout. Well, th' two of us was gonna go ask her what she was doin' around here, but as soon as she sees us she immediately gets all defensive." The bandit winced at the memory. "Kicked me hard across th' shins, I tried t'get her t'calm down but Genrou here grabbed her 'round th' neck from b'hind, tellin' her t'quit freakin' out. She got scared, an'-"

"An' th' little brat bit me!" Tasuki snapped, pulling back his sleeve to show the red marks on his arm. He picked up the narrative. "I lost my patience and whacked her over th' head, not real hard, jus' enough t'get her attention. But it turns out she wasn't as tough as she let on, an' the hit knocked her out cold."

"Genrou was all fer leavin' her there, but I'm not th' kinda guy t'scare a girl an' toss her down a mountain, so I figgered we'd bring her back t'the hideout, wait'll she woke up, an' explain th' whole situation." He glared at Tasuki. "I told ya t'put her in a room, ahou!"

Tasuki snickered and looked away innocently. "You never said _which room!"_

"Oh, dear!" Hikaru put a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle giggles from the bandit's strange story. "Do you think we should let the little fireball out?"

The Asatenshi woman's suggestion came too late. The four turned around, ready to head to the closet, when a blast of green light shone through the crack below the door. The door burst out of the wall; it was followed by a young woman wearing a rumpled periwinkle dress. The ropes she had been tied with fell off of her in ashes; a side effect of her magical blast, Chichiri assumed. She brushed her raven-blue hair out of her face, looking at Tasuki with murder in her green eyes. She brought up both hands, emerald mist swirling in her palms, and snarled angrily at the Reikaku leader. "Teeme...!"

"Shuu-chan!"

Chichiri blinked in surprise as Hikaru threw herself at the other young woman, hugging her tightly around the shoulders and kissing her cheeks repeatedly. "Shuu-chan, I missed you so much!" she cried, squeezing so hard the taller girl's back popped. "You haven't sent any letters to the shrine! Okaa-sama and Otoo-sama have been so worried about you! It's so nice to see you, you look absolutely wonderful, you've really matured since the last time I saw you! C'mon, don't you have anything to say, Shuu-chan!?"

"Get off of me..." the other girl growled, trying to scramble away from Hikaru's hold.

Koji sweatdropped. "Would someone please explain t'me what's goin' on?"

The Asatenshi woman turned, smiling in embarassment at Tasuki, Koji and Chichiri. "Ah, gomen nasai, minna-san!" She bowed, gesturing towards the young woman behind her. "This is Shuu-chan, my little sister!"

The three men's jaws dropped open. "Hontou ni (na no da)!?"

The other girl looked at them, scowling fiercely. "That's right. Ore wa Asatenshi Shuu, the youngest of the Asatenshi clan."

Hikaru hugged her younger sister again. "Oh, Shuu-chan, I wish you wouldn't talk with so much vulgarity! You know a young lady should use 'watashi' when mentioning herself! Goodness, Okaa-sama would have a fit if she heard you saying things like 'ore'!"

Shuu struggled out of her sister's hold, turning to look at Tasuki again. "I'd like some explanations as to why I woke up in a storage closet, yarou."

"Language, Nee-san!" Hikaru gestured towards the trio of men. "This is Tasuki-san, Chichiri-san, and Mitsuragi-san. What happened to you was a simple misunderstanding, that's all."

"Like I believe that," Shuu snorted.

"_Please call me Koji!" the bandit cried unhappily._

Shuu looked at the dark-haired Reikaku man, hard green eyes softening slightly. A ghost of a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, and she bowed quickly. "Yoroshiku, Koji-san. I thank you for keeping your jerk of a friend from tossing me off the mountain."

"Ah, it was nothin'..."

"Minna-san." All eyes turned to Hikaru. "Eto... if you had a woman trapped here, and you knew I was looking for my sister, why didn't you tell me about her?"

Tasuki rubbed the back of his head. "T'be honest I never even thought the two of you'd be related!" Koji nodded his agreement.

Chichiri took in the new arrival. It was understandable why the bandits hadn't made the connection; other than the color of their hair and eyes, the sisters couldn't have been more different. Shuu had a hard, weather-beaten look to her, as if she'd been subjected to hard labor most of her life. Unlike her sister, whose body was a series of well-defined curves, Shuu was straight and plain; strong and in shape, but not much else. It would be unfair and untrue to call the younger woman "unattractive," but the way she carried herself, with both arms folded defiantly across her chest; along with the plain dress that hung loosely about her body, gave her the air of someone who was either unnoticeable or didn't want to be noticed by the opposite sex. Her raven-blue hair was cropped somewhat unevenly at her shoulders in a haphazard style that added even more to her hard-edged look.

But mostly, Chichiri decided, it was the eyes that really set them apart. Though they were the same color as her sister's soft, mysterious eyes, Shuu's orbs stared back at everyone with a green fire of defiance and determination. She seemed to be glaring at the world angrily, as if she were disgusted at the fact that she had to live here. They were cold, hard eyes that made her look older than she really was, like she'd seen more years and more hardship than her appearance suggested. At the same time, the seishi noted, there was a far-off, sad edge in them, almost like she was looking at and lamenting about something she had lost and could never get back; it was a look the monk himself knew he sometimes possessed. Chichiri wasn't sure whether to distrust her or pity her.

"Well, in any case," Hikaru said with a small sweatdrop. "The matter's been cleared up, and Shuu-chan and I have found one another, so I suppose there was no harm done."

"No harm-!?" Tasuki and Shuu cried at once.

"_He assaulted me!"_

"_She attacked me!"_

"Ahou!"

"Gaki!"

"Ore no ketsu ga kisu!"

"Kutabarya!"

"Language, Nee-san!"

"Don't talk like that t'girls, Genrou!"

Chichiri could tell that the line of conversation was only going to get worse, and he wasn't interested in seeing a fight erupt between Tasuki and Shuu - with Tasuki's tessen and Shuu's shrine magic, the damage was bound to be catastrophic. The monk stepped between the two sides - bandits on one, Asatenshi women on the other - and held up his hands. "Minna, calm down no da! I'm sure everything can be explained and settled peacefully if we all just relax no da."

Hikaru smiled. "As I said before, Chichiri-san is very wise." She turned towards her sister, whose arms were folded across her chest in silent defiance. "Shuu-chan, Tasuki-san and Mitsuragi-san weren't trying to attack you; they just wanted to know what you were doing on their mountain. When you misunderstood and started fighting them, Tasuki-san took the defensive. He didn't mean to knock you out..."

"Actually-" the seishi bandit began, but Koji elbowed him in the ribs to keep him quiet.

"... However, once he had, he and Mitsuragi-san felt terrible for harming you, and they brought you back here to stay until you awoke. The storage closet was a... minor mistake." Hikaru tugged at her sister's arm. "So you see, there's nothing at all to be angry about! Really, Nee-san, you need to think before you jump to conclusions and begin shooting around that Holy Magic."

Shuu glared angrily at her sister, but only nodded sharply in response.

Chichiri grinned, bowing quickly in Shuu's direction. "Yoroshiku, Shuu-san no da. It's nice to meet Hikaru-san's younger sister, and I'm sure now that this is cleared up we can enjoy ourselves for the next week no da."

"For the next week?" Shuu queried, one eyebrow raised. "What, these bandits decide to keep us as their temporary love slaves or something?"

Koji waved his chibi arms wildly. "No, no, it's nothin' like that Shuu-san! I invited you 'n' Hikaru-san t'stay on Reikaku fer th' New Year's celebration! That's it, really!" He rubbed his hands together, shooting pleading glances at Shuu and love-filled glances at Hikaru. "Speakin' a-which, I hope ya'll accept th' offer an' stay! Genrou already said it was all right, so it ain't like ya'd be unwelcome..."

The younger Asatenshi sister shrugged. "Sure, I'll stay. Got nothing better to do, the way I see it."

Tasuki looked at Shuu with a mixture of anger and apprehension. "I agreed t'have Hikaru-san stay around, but I never said nothin' about this troublemaker." He glared at her. "Koji 'n' 'Chiri seem t'think yer all right, so I'll go with their opinions fer now. But if ya start throwin' those green powerballs around agin I'll kick ya off th' mountain so fast yer head'll spin." He paused. "Speakin' a-those balls, what th' hell was that? It looked kinda like th' stuff Chichiri does, but different at th' same time..."

"Oh!" Hikaru spoke before her sister could. "I never told you about where I was from, or the sort of life we live in our family, did I? Well, let's go finish our dinner and I'll explain the entire thing." She grabbed her younger sister by the arm, dragging her back towards the table. "Come along, Nee-san, you and the others can eat while I tell the story."

"I can't wait t'hear it, Hikaru-san," Koji said, following her with Tasuki in his wake. Chichiri took up the rear and sighed in relief, glad that the potential fight had been halted.

"Well, Shuu-chan and I are Maidens to the Shrine of the Mother... the One Creator... I'm a Disciple and Priestess to the Mother... High Priestess... Shuu-chan left... study abroad..."

As Hikaru continued her tale, Tasuki rolled his eyes behind her back. He moved his hand in an open-and-shut motion, mouthing "blah blah blah" as he did. The action didn't go unnoticed by Koji, who immediately smacked his friend hard across the back of the skull. "Itai!"

Hikaru turned around, dragging Shuu with her. "Hm? Is something the matter, Tasuki-san, Mitsuragi-san?"

"Eh, nothin', Hikaru-san..."

"An' please, call me Koji."

"Ah. Very well," she turned back around, Shuu in tow. "As I was saying, Shuu-chan took up..."

As soon as Hikaru's back was turned, Tasuki punched the side of Koji's head hard, sending him back a few steps. The Asatenshi women were oblivious to the pair of bandits growling at each other; Hikaru continued her narrative, Shuu's arm held tightly in a deathgrip that the young woman couldn't seem to break despite her struggles.

Chichiri sweatdropped. It was going to be an interesting week.

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundame Ramblings: July 4, 2003, 12:08 PM_

--Hao, minna-san!--  
Well, you've now been successfully introduced to, fundamentally, all the main characters (though there are plenty of side chars, rest assured on that) of "RFS," though villains and heroes will take a long time to show their true colors. Hey, what can I say, I like to keep me readers guessin'. ~_^ 

**Random Chapter Comments** *Wince* Hai, hai, hai, I'm perfectly aware that Koji is disgustingly out of character in this chapter! Pour more alcohol on the wound already, would'ja? *Grumble* Well, it was mostly for comedic effect, and I promise that he gets a thousand times better in the chapters to come, so bear with me on this one, all right? God knows writing Koji-chan "OOC" is a Hell for me, too...  
Oh, I know you didn't get a good look at him in this chapter, but any initial thoughts on Genji-kun? Yeah, he's my favorite original. ^_^ He's just so kawaii, not to mention that he provides a lot of the comic relief in this story later on (yeah, like I could write pure angst - I'm dramatically impaired, y'know!). 

**Japanese 101** In the spirit of my previous Rambling, I thought I'd keep up the Japanese lessons for a bit. And, since I'll be jumping into suffixes without bothering to translate them, I figured this'd be a good place to cover those pesky little critters.  
--"san." We'll start with an easy one. Though I'm sure most of you know this, "san" is a term of respect, basically translating to "Mr." "Mrs." or "Miss," depending on the person.  
--"sama." Another simple one. This is a term of much higher respect, translating best to "Lord," "Lady" or sometimes "Master." Genji-kun, for instance, reveres Koji and Tasuki as gods, thereby referring to them as "sama."  
--"chan." This is an affectionate term used on close friends or family, children, and pets (or, in some cases, to annoy someone - "Tasuki-chan," anyone?). It doesn't really translate to anything, though I've seen it translated to "dear" from time to time.  
--"sensei." "Teacher." Instead of saying "Akodo-san" to your Japanese homeroom teacher (lol), you'd say "Akodo-sensei," to identify their ranking.  
--"kun." *Wince* Here it gets a little trickier. Typically, "kun" is a friendly term used on a younger male friend - Genji-kun, Tasuki-kun, etc. It doesn't really translate to anything. It can also be used on fellow male classmates (Li-kun in "Cardcaptor Sakura," for example) and sometimes on subordinates. Like I said, it's a tricky one.  
--"senpai" (sometimes spelled "sempai"). Translates to something like "senior." Used on an older classmate, or sometimes on a boss. I won't use this one a whole lot 'cause it still confuses me a bit.  
Hope I didn't miss any! Stay tuned for next time, when we'll discuss more particles and maybe a few family members! (I'm having _way_ too much fun with this...) 

**Answering Reviews** Wow, I'm so happy to see that so many people want to hurt Umbridge! Somebody oughta start a "We Hate Umbridge" club, ah-heheh...  
Oh, and Kouryou-san, "Sugoi desu ka" would translate to, "Is it amazing?" because "ka" indicates a question. "Sugoi desu yo" would probably work better - "yo" being an exclamation - or just "Sugoi." You don't necessarily have to use the "desu" - in casual speech it's really not used that much - they just like to teach the proper way in books and classes...  
And no, haha, there is no real shounen ai in this story... though one male character does develop a crush on another male character... BUT I REVEAL NOTHING! *Much evil chortling* 

**Verse Preview?** A nostalgic monk, a lovestruck bandit, a cold Asatenshi sister, and some foreshadowing. One of these days I'll give a verse preview that actually makes sense... *Sweatdrop* 

Happy Independence Day, minna-san!  
Dee ~_^ 


	5. Verse Three: Mask

.link { FONT: bold 12px verdana; COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A:hover { COLOR: #349901 } 

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

_Author's Note: Just for the record, the little nicknames (can you even call them nicknames?) Shuu and Tasuki have for each other mean brat (Gaki) and moron/stupid (Ahou). Just figured I'd clear that little thing up._

**_Verse Three: Mask_**

"Strength is a very important thing,  
But you need tears too.  
With a parched, dried-up heart,  
You can't do anything at all;  
You can't feel a thing."  
~Hayashibara Megumi; "I'll Be There"~ 

The next day, Koji decided to help Hikaru get settled into her room. It would be a nice thing to do, plus it would give him some time to get to know her and give her a chance to know him. True, she had brushed aside all of his earlier attempts, but there was no way he was going to let a couple of little setbacks daunt him! No sir, Mitsuragi Koji was not the kind of person to just give up after a few failed attempts! Today, he'd let her see who he really was, and give her an idea of just how much he cared for her.

The bandit headed down the hallway toward where the Asatenshi woman was staying, remembering how the rooms had been decided the night before. The stronghold only had one spare room - intended for Chichiri - so after a bit of arguing Tasuki had "graciously" agreed to have Chichiri room with him for the week, while the Asatenshi sisters took the remaining sleeping quarter.

However, Shuu had been adamant about having a room of her own (Hikaru explained that Shuu couldn't control her Holy Magic when she slept, and sometimes she would hit things - it didn't hurt inanimate objects, but it could kill humans - and that she was terribly worried and embarrassed about it) so Koji had offered for Genji to stay with him, while Shuu took the young man's old room. It was a bargain that satisfied both Shuu and Genji - Genji a bit more excitedly ("Suzaku bless your out of control magic!" he had cried while hugging tightly to Koji's leg) - and the groups had dispersed to their rooms.

Koji knew that Hikaru had been tired, and chances were she hadn't had a chance to pack and clean up the evening before. This would be a perfect excuse for him to talk to the Asatenshi sister, and learn even more about the woman he had so swiftly and hopelessly fallen in love with. 

The bandit stood outside of her door for a moment, rehearsing what he would say and what sort of things they could talk about, then mustered up all his courage and knocked on the door to the Asatenshi woman's room. "Knock knock! Who's there? It's Koji, comin' t'help Hikaru-san get settled in. Oh, Koji-san, please come right in. A-ri-ga-tou..." the bandit opened the door, and glanced around the room to find it void of all life. "Eh!? Hikaru-san?"

"She already left."

Koji jumped straight up in the air, hitting his head on the frame of the door. He whirled around, only to see Shuu standing behind him. She had on a pale green dress today, tailored in the same plain style as the blue one from the day before. Her eyes were fixed in the familiar bitter, hurt glare; Koji wondered if she ever looked happy. "Oh, it's you, Shuu-san."

"If you're looking for my sister, she's long gone. Went to go help that ahou Tasuki with something. I don't know or care what." Koji noticed that Shuu always sounded especially bitter when she was talking about her sister. "If you want to put yourself to use, I could use some help getting my things set up. Genji-kun left his room in a total mess."

The older bandit didn't really want to help Shuu - what he wanted to do was track Hikaru down and drag her as far away from Tasuki as possible - but he knew that he couldn't refuse to one sister what he had just offered the other. "Ah, okay. Actually, once I was done helpin' Hikaru-san, I was gonna go find you..."

"Don't say things you don't mean. Two-faced people piss me off," Shuu snapped. She started down the hallway, heading towards her own room. With no better option, Koji followed.

They arrived shortly at the younger Asatenshi sister's temporary sleeping quarters. The room was in fairly good condition, save for a few loose ceiling tiles and a large crack running across the floor. Koji was glad that Shuu didn't say anything about these problems; the Reikaku stronghold was getting old, and the bandits weren't exactly handymen. The young woman gestured to the trash strewn haphazardly around the room - things Genji had left in his haste to move in with Koji. "Just get rid of that junk for me, will you? I'll unpack while you do."

Koji accepted the sack Shuu handed him - apparently she'd been prepared to clean up the mess herself - and got to work on the task at hand. The pair worked in silence for several long minutes - Shuu because she liked the quiet, and Koji because he didn't know what to say to the short-tempered woman - until the bandit finally decided to try and make conversation. "So, you 'n' Hikaru-san're from the Kiten Shrine t'the Mother, ne?"

"That's what she told you last night, wasn't it?" Shuu answered as she set a small white crystal down on her nightstand. 

"Why'd ya decide t'leave th' Shrine? Hikaru-san never really mentioned that."

"I wanted to," Shuu told him sharply. She pulled several dresses out of her small bag, stuffing them in the dresser. "Didn't like it there. Didn't have a chance of doing anything worthwhile. Something like that."

"Didn't have a chance? How come?" 

"Too weak. Who knows?"

The older bandit picked up the last piece of trash; as he did, he turned to face Shuu. "Well I know that ain't true, judgin' by th' way ya blasted th' door down yesterday. So what's th' real reason, ne, Shuu-san? How come yer sister's a High Priestess an' yer out here studyin' in some backwater Konan village?" Koji was prepared for an answer resembling "sibling rivalry" or "family issues;" what he got was everything but what he expected.

Shuu opened her mouth to give a snippish reply, but at the last second she decided against it. The Asatenshi woman looked away, clutching her hands tightly to her chest. Her voice came out barely above a whisper, but in that soft tone it held almost unbearable bitterness. "Two friends leave home to start their lives. One of the young men goes out, gets a job working the fields. He busts his ass, lives a hard, honest life, and gains several scars for his work. But even after years he still barely has a cent to his name. He's poor, uncared for, and completely alone. 

"The second young man leaves home, and immediately goes into a restaurant to have a drink. He gets drunk and blows all of his money. As the place is closing up, he gets angry at the bartender and throws his last bottle over his shoulder in a drunken rage. The bottle hits the head of a man who was harassing a young woman. It knocks the man out and saves the woman. The woman happens to be the daughter of a government official, and is so grateful that she marries the man and the two live in luxury." Shuu didn't look at Koji, but he knew she was talking to him. "Why did the second man wind up better off than the first?" 

Koji looked at her, confusion written clearly across his features. "Fate, maybe?"

"Bullshit. By himself, Fate can't do a damn thing. It's all about the luck of the draw, Koji-san. The damned luck of the draw." Shuu kept her green eyes as far away from his hazel ones as possible, almost as if she were afraid to meet them. 

Koji hesitated, wondering what he should do; the young woman looked extremely vulnerable, completely desolate and absolutely alone. What she really needed, he thought, was someone to hold her, if only for a moment. She needed to know that she was cared for. There was no one else around to do it; if anyone was going to console Shuu, it was going to be him.

But to hold her would be to agree with her, and to agree with her would be to condemn Hikaru. Koji couldn't do that, not to the woman he was so helplessly in love with. The bandit bit his lip; he couldn't agree with her, but he could do the next best thing. Koji touched a hand lightly to her shoulder. "Oi. Oi, it's all right, Shuu-san."

Shuu turned her head around, but kept her eyes down. "Koji-san...?"

He grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. "Luck ain't somethin' that stops ya, it's jus' another obstacle ya gotta figure out how t'get around. I'm sure it'll work out all right when all's said an' done; it almost always does." He jerked a thumb at himself. "Take me, fer instance. I lost my family when I was pretty young and didn't have anywhere else t'go. I stumbled upon Reikaku by pure accident, in fact! I was jus' a kid, but the old leader Hakurou took me in anyway. It was tough, but I worked hard, an' look at me now! Co-leader t'the greatest gang on th' planet!" Koji chucked her chin up with one hand, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "So cheer up already, will ya?"

Shuu's green orbs nearly filled with tears; she was two seconds away from collapsing into the surprisingly kind bandit's arms, half an instant away from telling the entire story, the real story. But at the last second, she came back to herself, remembered who she was and what she was. She realized what was happening, what had almost happened, what barriers she'd almost dropped, what emotions she'd almost displayed, who she'd almost displayed them to, what she'd almost allowed herself to reveal. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Koji, then narrowed hurriedly. He had no right... _he had no right!_

Asatenshi slapped Koji's hand away, jerking back sharply and nearly losing her balance. "Don't touch me," she said harshly, voice trembling with either fear, anger, sorrow, or an unusual blend of all three.

The bandit involuntarily winced at the tone in her voice. "H-hey, what's wrong, Shuu-san?"

The woman turned sharply on her heel, hands clasped tightly over her chest. "Just stay away from me... stay away from the both of us..." she looked at him once more, green eyes masked by a thin layer of raven-colored hair and emotions masked by a thin layer of protective anger. "No one's safe in this game. Don't get involved in it. If you do, if you get mixed up in this... I swear you'll regret it."

"Shuu-san, I don't..." but the young woman had already exited the room, green skirts swishing violently against her heels, and Koji was left alone to wonder what in the world had just happened. 

***

Three days had passed since Chichiri had arrived at the stronghold, and the monk had very quickly adapted himself to a new routine that suited the Reikaku way of life. He was even starting to get used to Tasuki's constant snoring, something he hadn't thought he'd ever become accustomed to. Yes, Chichiri was somehow fitting right in with the rest of the crew, and making several new companions out of the experience as well. 

Hikaru spent a lot of her time with Tasuki or her sister, but she always made it a point to talk with Chichiri at least once a day. The two had bonded in their days of travel, and still retained that closeness now that they had reached their destination. Hikaru was a good storyteller as well as an excellent listener, making her easy to talk to and even easier to get along with. The monk liked her immensely, and, ironically - considering Tasuki's earlier jabs about his age - Chichiri _did _think of her a little like a daughter; or at the very least, like a younger sister.

Shuu, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. The younger sister was a mute for the most part, keeping her distance from all of the Reikaku residents. When she did speak, her words usually came out like a whip: they cracked the air and left the victim of the harsh words with nothing to do but wince and back away. She was like that with everyone, saving Hikaru, the sister that she seemed to love, however reluctantly, and Koji, for reasons Chichiri had yet to discern.

The monk did what he could to be kind to the young woman, but her lack of gratitude, added together with her harshness, were starting to wear on even the mild-mannered Chichiri's nerves. He kept at it, nevertheless; for Hikaru's sake - he didn't want her to think Shuu was unwelcome - and for his own. There was something buried deep in the younger Asatenshi woman's heart, something in her bitter, ravaged eyes that reminded the monk far too much of himself. And, in spite of her attitude, Chichiri sensed that she was a trustworthy person; he had no idea why, but something told him Shuu would prove herself to be much more than she seemed. 

But then again, both of the Asatenshi women were like that. Mysterious, secretive... their was something odd about their life forces, something the ki-senser couldn't quite place. And they were hiding something, too, masking it so well that even the observant monk couldn't uncover the truth. But what could it possibly be...? 

Ah, well. Chichiri tried not to think too much about that. If there was something odd about them, well, Hikaru was bound to tell him sooner or later. No reason to get worked up about that.

At that particular moment, the monk was more worried about himself, a fact that he didn't like to admit. Thinking about yourself, about your own emotions, was much more tiring than concerning oneself with another person's; more selfish, too. Chichiri didn't like to do it, but sometimes his subconscious made itself known without the rest of his mind's consent. Such was the case today, and he was determined to get down to the root of his restlessness, figure out what was wrong, and move on with his life.

And whenever Chichiri felt like that, there was only one thing he could possibly do. The monk kicked Tasuki out of their room that afternoon and settled in for some hard-core meditation. Surely, that would help. Clear the mind, open up the heart... a perfect solution. In a few moments he was lost deep within his own subconscious, rehashing the past and trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with him. 

It was true, the monk had spent his last few days living in almost constant contact with other people; it was a new experience, but he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy it. Chichiri realized that he was getting tired of living alone, getting tired of wandering by himself with no one but nature and his own thoughts to keep him from being in complete solitude. He wanted company... he _needed company, people who actually cared whether he lived or died. And, oddly enough, he had found those people in the form of a few vulgar bandits and an unusual woman._

Chichiri thought that he would be perfectly content to settle down at the foot of Reikaku, maybe near where Shuu studied. If Hikaru's feelings were the way the monk thought they were, then he might be able to convince her to stay around the area, too. Tasuki, Koji, the other friendly bandits... they'd all be a day's walk away, easy traveling distance for a seasoned wanderer like himself. It would be a bland, modest little life, but surely he'd had enough excitement in his twenty-odd years of traveling to count for fifty more.

Yet still Chichiri was restless, discontent with the way things were working out. He couldn't explain it, couldn't understand it, but some nagging part of his mind wasn't happy with the situation. No, that wasn't the right way to put it; it wasn't that he was _un_happy, it was just... something was missing. Something wasn't quite right. Some hole in his life that he hadn't been able to fill for over twenty years... ever since...

That was it.

Chichiri opened his single eye, bringing himself back to reality with a crash. His eyebrows furrowed into an unhappy, guilty little frown. "Twenty-one," he said quietly. "It was twenty-one winters ago, yesterday no da."

Twenty-one winters ago, he'd done it.

Twenty-one winters ago, on a frigidly cold January night amidst a glade of bare trees, he'd finally gotten up the nerve to say the words his heart had been screaming at him for years.

Twenty-one winters ago, Ri Houjun had offered his life, love and soul to Suzunami Kouran. 

Twenty-one winters ago, her eyes had filled with tears. She had said "yes."

Twenty-one winters ago, and he hadn't even had the decency to remember the damned date.

The monk leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the slightly peeling ceiling of his temporary room. "Chichiri, you really are an idiot no da." 

***

Tasuki knocked quietly on the door of his room later that afternoon, not wanting to disturb Chichiri in the middle of... whatever it was he was doing. The bandit didn't completely understand his friend's actions, but he figured that the least he could do was respect them. "Oi, Chichiri? You still busy?"

There was no answer, so Tasuki decided the monk had either left or was too involved in his activities to hear him. The bandit opened the door quietly, looking into his sun-washed room and finding the usual things, but no Chichiri.

"Huh, that's funny... I figured he'd tell me if he was gonna get up an' leave like that..." Tasuki's boots thumped quietly across the wooden floor as he headed towards his bed. The bandit noticed a slip of parchment on the pillow; he picked it up curiously, reading the note aloud. It was from Chichiri. "_Tasuki-kun: I went out to the stream to do a little fishing and thinking. I'll be back before nightfall; don't wait up for me at dinner. Please don't try to bother me - I just need some time alone. It has to do with The Flood. Chichiri." The bandit looked up, frowning a little. "Three whole sentences an' not a single 'no da'? Somethin' important must be on yer mind t'day, Chichiri..."_

A voice from the doorway interrupted his thoughts. "Tasuki... san...?"

The bandit recognized the female voice as Hikaru's. He waved a hand in the direction of the doorway. "I told ya already, don't bother me when I'm in my room. It's th' only place I c'n get a little peace 'n' quiet around here."

"Ah, yes of course, Tasuki-san... eh, demo [but]..." Hikaru stepped into the doorway, staggering under the weight of a pile of firewood nearly tall as she was. "Where did you say you wanted me to put these?"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Oh, I fergot that you were helpin' me with those. Oops."

Asatenshi leaned around the wood, flashing a pained smile. "It's no problem... really..."

The bandit grinned, walking out of his room and waving a hand for her to follow him. "C'mon, we'll take 'em out back t'the woodpile. Once ya get that finished, take a little break an' then you c'n separate 'em."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, y'know, take some t'the stoves, some t'the fireplaces, the whole thing." Tasuki glanced over his shoulder at the woman, grinning devilishly. He hadn't thought he was going to enjoy having her around, but Hikaru's willingness to help him get things done was making his life much easier, not to mention much more enjoyable. "You don't mind, do ya?"

The woodpile shook back and forth. "Not at all, Tasuki-san! It's my pleasure to give you any aid I can, especially after you've been so kind to my sister and me! I don't mind one bit!"

"Glad t'hear it," the bandit told her, walking backwards into the living room so he could help her if she stumbled. "An' it's my pleasure t'let you take my duties, y'can be sure of that!"

Koji, Shuu, and several of the other bandits were in the main hall, lounging about and playing various games (most involving gambling). They looked up and smiled - some at Tasuki, some at Hikaru - as the pair came in. "Ya, Leader/Hikaru-san!"

Koji, upon seeing the young woman under the wood, immediately hopped to his feet. "Oi, Hikaru-san, lemme give you a hand with that."

Asatenshi poked her head around the pile once more, smiling distractedly in Koji's direction. "No, that's all right, Mitsuragi-san. I told Tasuki-san I'd help him with the Reikaku chores, and I wouldn't want to skirt my duties."

Koji decided to get after her about calling him "Mitsuragi-san" later. "You've got enough wood there t'keep the mountain warm fer a week! I appreciate yer willingness, but yer our guest. Please, lemme help ya."

It wouldn't have done Hikaru any good to protest - Koji was already shifting part of the load to his own arms - so she offered him a fleeting smile instead. "Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san."

Her smile was like a thousand words of praise, as far as the bandit was concerned. "No problem!" Koji moved the bundle into a more comfortable position, then turned to yell at Tasuki. "Oi, Genrou, help Hikaru-san with the rest. This _is yer day t'get wood, after all, an' ya shouldn't make Hikaru-san do all yer work fer ya."_

Tasuki's golden eyes narrowed. "Who's th' leader 'round here, na? Besides, she _offered t'do it. Ya think I'm gonna turn down a chance t'get out of work?" Hikaru stumbled slightly under the load of wood - which, even with Koji's help, was still much too heavy for one person - and the tanned bandit sent Tasuki a meaningful look. "Oh, fine, fine!" The seishi turned, calling towards where Shuu was sitting. "Oi, Gaki! C'mere an' help yer sister with th' firewood, will ya?"_

Shuu looked up from where she was quite comfortably seated, spread out in one of Reikaku's window seats with a scrap of parchment in one hand and ink and quills scattered about. Her usual frown deepened. "I don't remember offering _my services, Ahou. __You invited me to stay as a houseguest, not as a paying customer."_

The redheaded bandit matched her scowl for scowl. "Ya don't see yer sister slackin' off an' complainin', do ya?"

The younger Asatenshi sister shrugged, leaning back in the window seat and turning her eyes back to the parchment. "Hikaru is Hikaru, and Shuu is Shuu."

"Shuu is Gaki!" Tasuki snapped back heatedly. "It wouldn't kill ya t'do a little work, would it?"

"Like you have room t'talk," Koji remarked dryly. He shoved his load of wood into Tasuki's hands, then went to help Hikaru with the rest. "Shuu-san's right: they're _guests, not tenants. If they wanna help out then that's fine with me, but ya don't gotta turn 'em inta slaves."_

Tasuki grumbled something rude and followed his friend to the woodpile outside. Hikaru stumbled after them, calling to the two in her gentle voice: "But Tasuki-san, I really don't mind aiding you in these chores! Honestly!"

The three of them soon walked back into the stronghold, Tasuki leading the way. "Well, I'm glad that's over with."

Hikaru wiped her hands off on her dress - it was a pale brown one, plain and tailored to be well-suited to work. "Is there anything else I can do, Tasuki-san?"

The bandit paused thoughtfully. "Well, ya could re-tile th' roof..."

From her corner, Shuu snickered. Hikaru put a finger to her chin thoughtfully; she didn't seem to have heard her sister. "Oh? How long to do you suppose that would take? Should I start now, or wait until tomorrow morning?"

Tasuki and Koji nearly face-vaulted. Koji waved his hands, sweatdropping. "He's only jokin', Hikaru-san. There's nothin' else that I c'n think of, an' if there is anythin' then th' rest of us c'n take care of it. You jus' take off th' rest of the afternoon."

The young woman bowed quickly. "Arigatou!" She looked towards Tasuki. "Do you know where Chichiri-san is right now?"

Tasuki thought for a moment. "Uh..." he pointed towards the wall, in the direction of the forest. "Outside an' by th' stream, over that way, I think..."

"Arigatou," she said again, bowing quickly and hurrying towards the woods. "I haven't spoken to him yet today! I'll be back by dinner, at the very latest! Dewa [See you]!"

"Oi, matte [wait]! He kinda wanted-" but Hikaru was already out the door and gone. Tasuki sighed. "Ah, well. Chichiri c'd use a little company. Gods know he's alone too often as it is..."

Koji looked at his friend curiously. "Hm? Somethin' wrong with Chichiri?"

"Well, not exactly..." the bandit hesitated, then decided not to get into the whole tale without Chichiri's consent. "It's a long story. Ya'd have t'ask him t'tell it to ya."

Shuu set her ink quills down on the window seat, watching Hikaru's departure. After a few seconds, she tucked the parchment into the sash around her waist, and followed her older sister. Shuu walked quickly, and didn't notice when the piece of paper slipped out of her sash and onto the wooden floor. 

Koji trotted over and picked it up. "Oi, Shuu-san..." the young woman, like her sister, had already vanished out the doorway. "Ah well, I c'n give it to her later, I guess... wonder what she was workin' on, anyway?"

The bandit decided against looking at it, and started to slip it into his belt. The paper stuck there for a moment, but it was too thick to fit firmly enough; it dropped out and fell to the ground again, unrolling as it went. Koji sighed and bent over to grab it once more, except this time his eye happened to catch sight of the design.

Koji held up the paper, surprised by what he saw. It was an interesting piece of artwork; Shuu had a talent for drawing, to say the least. It was done in a series of lines that made it seem almost abstract; however, if Koji followed the lines, he noticed that there was a picture among the varying lines of color and density. There was a woman standing in the corner. Her eyes had been inked in green, and her hair was colored a deeper black than the rest of the picture. Due to the heavy ink and the lining, it was impossible to tell whether it was meant to be Shuu or Hikaru; it was definitely one of the two, Koji decided. Several thin lines sprawled out from her back; following the pattern closely, he realized that the lines formed a pair of nearly transparent wings. 

An Angel. How fitting, he thought with a small smile. The Angel was standing on a precipice at the edge of the picture. Her hands were clutched tightly over her chest, gripping something the bandit couldn't see. Her white wings were spread behind her in what looked like elegance. The bandit's eyes traveled over the picture, once more admiring the unusual style and stunning emotion displayed in the woman's mysterious eyes. His own hazel orbs traveled back to the wings, to the lines inked in black, red, and green that seemed to whirl around those white wings in a pattern... the bandit froze, unintentionally gasping slightly.

Tasuki heard his companion. "Mm? Koji? Somethin' wrong?"

Koji rolled the parchment up quickly, shaking his head and forcing a smile in Tasuki's direction. "Wha? No, nothin'. I jus' thought I saw a... a snake. Yeah. A poisonous one. It wasn't, though. Nevermind."

Tasuki had many strengths, but his perception skills were not among them; he accepted Koji's answer as the truth and went back to talking with Ken about the recent attacks from the rival gang.

The tanned bandit gave a quick sigh of relief, gripping the paper tightly in his hand and heading towards his room. His hazel eyes were lost in a world of intense, troubled thought, as he tried to erase the disturbing image he had seen within the picture and found that it only lodged deeper into his brain.

The swirling pattern had been in the shape of a claw. 

The mysterious emotion in her eyes had been pain.

The Angel's wings were being ripped apart. 

***

Chichiri, mask off for the first time in several days, sat by the stream that flowed gently past the Reikaku stronghold and provided the bandits with fresh water. His fishing line was cast into the water - unbaited, because he wasn't looking to catch anything today - and his mind was miles and years away. The monk stared thoughtfully at the blue sky above, not really seeing it or the birds that fluttered around overhead. He closed his single eye, inhaling deeply and remembering... oh, gods, always remembering...

_~~Houjun shivered in spite of his thick robe, peering through the flurries - it rarely snowed heavily in Konan, if it snowed at all - and trying to keep up with his fiancee. "Kouran, it's freezing out here! Where in the world are we going!?"   
"It's just a little further, you big baby!" Kouran said teasingly, ducking behind a tree and forcing him to follow. "Come on, come on! Just a bit more, and then you can go home and warm up."  
"Go home and defrost is more like it," he said with a laugh, jogging to keep up with his fleet-footed love. The young man swung around another of the many bare trees, pulling up abruptly as he came face-to-face with Kouran. "Ah! Are we there yet?"  
She smiled secretively. "What do you think? Do you know where we are?"  
Houjun looked around the clearing. A small chill ran down his spine, but it wasn't from the cold this time. He knew exactly where they were. "A week ago... right here..."   
"_You_ proposed to me, Ri Houjun." Kouran hugged him tightly, for affection and warmth."I'm sorry to drag you out here, but it just seemed right, to come back after a week and all..."   
"Don't be sorry. It was a wonderful idea."   
"Mm," she said contentedly. Kouran's mood changed swiftly; she leaned her head against his chest, frowning slightly. "Oh, why can't we tell everyone else about this? It's fun having a happy little secret, but I want our family and friends to share the happiness as well."   
"You know how traditional Kikuko Oba-san is," he reminded her. "We've been friends forever, but as far as the family knows we've only been officially 'courting,'" he laughed at the old-fashioned term, "for a few weeks. My old Oba-san will insist that a wedding this soon is a curse, and that's the last thing I want to hear from anyone on the happiest day of my life."   
"Mm..." Kouran tugged on his robe slightly. "Can we at least tell Hikou? I feel like we owe him that much... he's known us for so long..."   
"_Especially_ not Hikou!" Houjun said with a chuckle. "I love him, you know I do, but let's face it Kouran, the man couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it."   
She giggled. "Sou, sou." Kouran sighed once again. "So we have to wait until the spring to make the announcement, deshou?"   
"You always told me you wanted a summer wedding, didn't you?"   
"Well, yes..." she looked up at him, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "If you were so worried about your family and my wants, then why did you decide to propose so early; in the year, and in the relationship?"   
Houjun leaned down slightly and kissed her - it was a quick, fleeting gesture; the young man was always careful about not overstepping boundaries - and chuckled slightly. "Because if I had waited I would have lost all of my courage, and you would have had to wait another three years before I got up the nerve again to ask you."   
Kouran laughed. "In that case, I'll take a few months to three years." She huddled into his shirt; now she was the one shivering. "Oooh, Houjun, I'm freezing! Let's get inside, quick! Your house is closer; can I stay there until I melt a little bit?"   
"I _told_ you it was cold, didn't I?" Houjun laughed as well, wrapping his arms around her thin frame and leading her out of the trees. "Hai, hai, stay for as long as you want! My family would love to have you... And so would I, of course...!"~~ _

Chichiri sighed. This shouldn't be bothering him. By all rights, none of this should be bothering him. His days were full of things to keep him busy, he had friends who kept him company, and a life of his own. He shouldn't be feeling so damn guilty about forgetting the proposal date! He was acting as if it were some kind of anniversary, as if the two of them had actually gotten past the proposal, as if he'd ever even had a life with her. For Suzaku's sake, it had been _twenty-one years! His old friends didn't really expect him to mourn them for that long, did they? How much time could one person possibly take to move on, to get life going again!?_

But the monk already knew the answer to his question, and he knew that it was an answer that only added more questions to the never ending list. He couldn't move on because, quite simply, he didn't have all the answers he needed to be _able to move on. _

Kouran. Why had she let him think that she loved Hikou? Didn't she know he'd believe her, if she told him the truth? Why hadn't she tried to find him, after he had left her home, practically in tears? Why had she allowed Hikou to do that? Why hadn't she tried to pull away? Why did she look like she was enjoying The Kiss? That was what still stuck with him, and what would always stick with him; the way she let herself be held by Hikou, the way her eyes had been closed in pleasure, not open in surprise or shock. _Why hadn't she fought back?_

Hikou. Why had he let himself get caught up in the moment? They had been best friends since childhood; surely simple feelings of lust couldn't force someone to destroy a relationship that easily. How could he have hated Houjun enough to allow himself to be possessed by a demon? How could he let himself sink so low, how could he lose so much trust in friendship? And why, oh, gods, why had he said they weren't really best friends? Why had he decided to have that be the last thing he ever said to Chichiri? How could he say it!? _How could he believe it!?_

Above all else, though, was still that one thing that always ached at his heart. Why? Why had it happened? Why had any of it happened? Hikou's jealousy, Kouran's reaction, his own blind rage... And that surprise flash flood, that not even the weather sages could predict... __

Chichiri shook his head, leaning back in the brown grass on his elbows and sighing. He had given up on trying to understand himself and that event years ago. There was no way he could ever begin to understand it, so why even try? Except that wasn't enough; giving up on figuring it out just wasn't enough. He still wanted to know, needed to know, thirsted to know the unmasked truth. 

But that truth was a truth he'd never be able to find... and for that reason he was restless, he realized suddenly. There were so many questions that he'd never know the answers to; so many answers that could never be given. That was why he couldn't find true happiness on Reikaku, or anywhere; that was why he would never be completely content. 

There were some things that just couldn't be given back, and those things were the ones that left the holes in your heart. His questions didn't have answers. His hole would remain unfilled.

_'It isn't fair,' he thought to the blue sky above. _'But then again, I learned a long time ago that life wasn't always fair no da...' __

"Eto... Chichiri-san?"

The monk sat up quickly, coming back to the real world as quickly as he had left. He jerked his head towards the owner of the gentle, concerned female voice. "Hikaru-san no da."

"I was-" Hikaru looked at him curiously, then jumped back a little, somewhat startled. "Goodness! Your face-!"

Chichiri touched his hand to his scar, one finger tracing the jagged pattern quickly. He had become so accustomed to either wearing his mask or being around people who were used to his disfigured face that he had forgotten the reaction it tended to get. "Gomen, Hikaru-san no da." The monk reached over to where his mask was sitting on the ground, but the young woman walked over quickly and put a hand on his, stopping him from picking up the magical piece of cloth. "Hm?"

She smiled in embarrassment. "I apologize, Chichiri-san. I just, I didn't realize that the face I knew was not your real one. It startled me for a minute."

"Daijoubu no da," he told her with a small, forced smile. "I'm used to people being disturbed by my scar no da. Here, I can put the mask back on..."

She shook her head. "No! I wasn't disturbed! I was just... surprised. It was like looking at a different person, for a moment. Really, it doesn't bother me." Hikaru grabbed his chin tightly in her hand, using her other hand to touch the scarred skin. "Hm... it's an unusual wound, and deep too. I know a spell that might heal it; I can't guarantee that it will restore your sight, but it's worth a try..."

Chichiri shook his head, pulling back slightly. "No, Hikaru-san. If I had wanted to have this healed, there are a lot of people I could have asked to do it no da. I wear the scar voluntarily, as a reminder no da." He glanced at his mask; he itched to put it back on, to hide behind the material and become the smiling, cheerful monk he had grown so accustomed to playing in the past years.

But Hikaru sat down, picking up the material in her hands and giving him no chance to snatch it back. "It's so real... you'd never guess it wasn't your true face."

He chuckled a little. "You really didn't know na no da?"

"Well, I thought it a little strange that you always looked like this," Hikaru curled her eyes upwards to demonstrate, "but far be it for me to question the ways of another culture..." the young woman looked at Chichiri, concern and confusion in her emerald eyes. "You look troubled, Chichiri-san. Is something the matter? Can I do anything to help?"

He curled his knees to his chest, staring into the waters of the stream. "There's nothing you can do no da. Not unless you know how to communicate with the dead." He gestured towards his face. "It was a lot to do with that reminder I was telling you about... no da."

"I interrupted you during a bad time. I apologize." Hikaru shifted; she looked uncomfortable, as if she were fighting between her compassionate side and her respectful side. In the end, she compromised with both. "If you want to tell me about it, you can, but please don't feel that you have to..."

Chichiri was not the kind of person to withhold information from a friend, especially one who he considered as close as Hikaru. After all, it _had_ been twenty-one years ago; if he couldn't talk about the incident now, then there really was no hope for him. And besides, didn't those who planned on getting close to him have a right to know what kind of a person he was? "Let me tell you a fairy tale, a sad one, that I'm sure your country has never heard. It's about one of the Suzaku seishi, who used to go by the name Ri Houjun no da..."

And so, the monk explained everything to the Asatenshi woman. He left out no detail, no scrap of information, no evidence to make him sound like the victim; for, in truth, they were all victims, just as they had all been villains. When he was done, he could tell that his words had hit Hikaru sharply; she looked as if someone had just kicked all the air out of her lungs. "Chichiri-san..."

He hadn't met her eyes the entire time, and he still kept his single mahogany orb fixed on the waters flowing near his feet. "Well, now you've heard the story no da."

"I have," she said quietly, "but I don't think I believe it." Chichiri looked at her quizzically; Hikaru returned his stare. "I simply cannot believe... you're always so cheerful, Chichiri-san! No one who endures... who has to suffer that much could possibly be that happy!"

He smiled, but his heart wasn't really in it. "Mostly, it's the mask no da. It smiles for me, sometimes... and, the rest of the time, it reminds me to be cheerful. I don't like seeing others unhappy, more so than I do myself no da."

She shook her head sharply, almost as if she were afraid to believe that there was so much more to the monk. "Still, I don't believe it! A mild-mannered person like yourself would never _think_ about committing murder, _never_! It just isn't... it isn't Chichiri-san, or even Houjun-san..."

Chichiri set his jaw tightly, looking away again. "I never intended to kill him, Hikaru-san. Never, not even during my darkest moments... I never wanted to kill Hikou no da. Don't think that little of me. I wanted her back... I wanted to know _why... but never, __never did I think I would kill him. I was just so angry, so hurt, so __betrayed that I, I lost control for a moment..."_

Hikaru paused, thinking back to something the monk had said to her when they had first met. "Loyalty... you told me before that you valued that quality above just about everything else. You called it Tasuki-san's best trait. Is that why...?"

"Is that why I attacked him?" he finished bluntly. 

_"Why!? Why did you betray me!? HIKOU! Answer me!"_

Chichiri chuckled, but there was no humor in the action. "Hai, I guess so no da. I trusted Hikou and Kouran, more than I trusted my family and probably myself. They were always there for me, and I was always there for them. To have the two of them do that to me..." he sighed. "Well, as you can see, twenty-one years later and I still can't forget about it no da." 

Chichiri looked towards Hikaru, meeting her green eyes for one of the first times that afternoon. "Trust is like a house made out of straw no da. It takes a lot of work to build, but only two seconds to completely tear down. And just like a house, having it destroyed can damage a lot of the things inside of it no da. Sometimes forever. That's why it's so important to be loyal, no da."

This time, Hikaru was the one to break the stare. She looked down at the ground, voice quiet and - could Chichiri be mistaken? - almost timid. "And, do you trust me, Chichiri-san?"

The monk smiled. "I do, Hikaru-san. I know I only just met you, but I do trust you no da."

"That's good to know. I think, I think I trust you as well, Chichiri-san." Hikaru blushed, rubbing her hands together nervously. "Chichiri-san... because I do trust you... may I ask a question?"

"Of course no da."

Hikaru looked down at her hands, poking her index fingers together nervously. "Tasuki-san... you said he doesn't like girls... but, do you think, do you think there might be some way... I mean, with a little persistence, and a lot of luck... do you suppose that he, that he and I... do you think there's some way the two of us might, er... oh, dear, this is embarrassing..."

Chichiri chuckled, standing and helping the Asatenshi woman to her feet. "I understand what you're saying, Hikaru-san no da. I had a feeling from the beginning no da. You like Tasuki-kun, don't you na no da?" She blushed, toyed with her ear, and nodded. The monk smiled gently. "I wish you the best of luck, Hikaru-san no da. But don't become blind to the other bandits no da: you never know whose eye you might have caught, and who knows? They might catch your eye as well no da."

"Hai, because Hikaru-san is a natural sex-magnet," someone taunted from the nearby trees.

Chichiri looked towards the wood. "Did you finally decide to show yourself, Shuu-san?"

"I didn't scare you?" Shuu poked her scowling head around one of the trees, her body following shortly. "Damn ki-sensing. How long did you know I was there?"

"From the moment you arrived no da. I hope you enjoyed the story no da."

"Shuu-chan!" Hikaru reprimanded, jumping to her feet. "How impolite! Spying on people like that!"

The other woman shrugged. "Call it spying if you want. I call it looking out for my older sister. Not all monks like to follow their vow of abstinence." Chichiri sweatdropped. "Anyway, you don't seem like the kind of person to take advantage of anyone, especially after your fianee screwed around with your best friend like that."

"_Shuu-chan!"_

Chichiri touched a hand lightly to Hikaru's shoulder. "Calm down, Hikaru-san. Shuu-san has a blunt way of putting things, but I can translate well enough no da. She's like Tasuki-kun in that sense no da." He smiled in the direction of the younger Asatenshi sister. "Besides, I think I trust you too, Shuu-san no da."

"Oh, joy," she said sarcastically. The younger Asatenshi looked away and sniffed the air. "Smells like dinner's about ready. I'm going to eat. Come if you want, or stay here and get more depressed. It won't do you much good, trying to find answers to questions that don't have any, but who am I to tell you what to do?"

Chichiri held up a hand to keep Hikaru from reprimanding her sister anymore. "It's all right, Hikaru-san. Shuu-san had as much of a right to know about my past as you did; and like I said before, I think I trust her no da." He placed his mask lightly against his face, where it immediately molded to his features. "Besides, Shuu-san has a good point, not to mention I'm hungry no da."

Hikaru's anger evaporated. She chuckled. "All right, Chichiri-san. You go on ahead and get back to Reikaku; I want to talk to Shuu-chan for a moment, then we'll come for dinner. Tell Tasuki-san not to wait up: I wouldn't want them to starve just for our sakes."

"Hai no da!" the monk walked away from the pair of sisters, feeling somewhat better about his current situation. His issue had not been resolved, but he felt that he had just strengthened his bonds with Hikaru. At this point, that was really the best he could hope for, considering he had already given himself up to a lifetime of incomplete happiness. "I'll see you soon no da!"

Hikaru and Shuu waited until Chichiri had completely disappeared from view. Then, slowly, the two began to walk the same way he went. The sisters did not need to use words to communicate; they were far more closely connected than that. One of them looked at the other curiously; the other frowned somewhat unhappily. The curious one was the first to speak.

_"Having second thoughts, Nee-san?" she queried._

_"Have I ever?"_

_"You've never associated with your victims before. At least, not this closely. You were nearly reached recently, by one of them, weren't you? I can feel your wariness."_

_"That makes no difference," the Asatenshi woman's voice had a note of unsureness. __"I'll always see them as foolish, pathetic beings. Nothing but fragile mortals."_

_"Angels were once mortals as well, you know."_

_"Yes, and those memories of feebleness were dissolved when we became servants, thank the gods."_

_"You're playing with their lives."_

_"They're too stupid to understand that."_

_"Didn't the monk's words reach you at all?"_

Here she faltered, but only for a moment. _"Of course they did. All the more reason to eradicate his unhappy existence."_

_"You're disgusting."_

_"No, you're the one who's disgusting, Nee-san. Sympathizing with their trivial, selfish little thoughts; taking pity on them, helping them! And then, after being rightfully cast down from the heavens for your disobedience, you are saved! Not only saved, but Chosen by the Mother, no less!"_

_"Jealous, Nee-san?"_

_"Of you? Never. The Mother will regret Her decision of picking a weakling like you as one of Her Own. You just see if She won't."_

The first of the two sighed. _"Then, if you wish to continue, what's to be your next step?"_

_"Hah! Did you think I would tell you, so that you could plan a way to ward my attack!? No, I'm not that foolish. The curtain will soon rise. And the next step, my dear Nee-san, is something you will have to wait and see for yourself."_

*****  
*****

  
_Author's Mundane Ramblings: July 10, 2003, 1:40 PM _

Hao, minna-san!  
I posted this verse a day early! Why, you ask? Because I'm leaving for a family vacation to Colorado tomorrow, and I won't be back until next Saturday. So, you get a verse early this week, and a verse late next week. Hey, it all evens out, ne? 

**Random Chapter Comments** Yup, here it is, the "Chichiri's past chapter" that nearly every Chichiri-centered fic simply _must_ have. Hopefully I covered it in a way that didn't make it redundant and unoriginal! And, on a completely different subject, you've gotten a better look at Shuu's and Hikaru's characters now - any assessments?. And yes, Val-chan, I KNOW you think Hikaru is evil. Build a bridge and get over it. *Sigh* 

**Japanese 101** A little tired today, but, as promised, I'm going to bring you family terms this time, since I'm going to use quite a few of them in this fic. We'll save particles for another time, though, all right?  
--"Father" is Otoo-san, or sometimes 'Too-san for short. It, like most family terms, doesn't necessarily have to be followed by "san." Sometimes it's "sama" (very polite and respectful), oftentimes "san" (standard; polite yet casual), and once in a while "chan" (affectionate and quite casual).  
--"Mother" is Okaa-san, or 'Kaa-san for short. Same as above as far as suffixes go - most of the time, it'll be "san."  
--"Sister" is (obviously) Nee-san. An older sister would be "Onee-chan" and a younger sister would be "Imouto-chan." Sisters and brothers are, much more often than parents, used with the suffix "chan."  
--"Brother" is Nii-san. An older brother is "Onii-chan" and a younger is Otouto-chan. Also, a more casual (and often figurative) term for "Big brother" is Aniki. Tasuki used to call Koji this, and a lot of the bandits still do.  
--"Aunt" is Oba-san. Oba-san can also be used on older female adults; it sort of means "Ma'am."  
--"Uncle" is Oji-san. Like Oba-san, it can be used on older male adults, a bit like "mister" or "sir."  
--"Grandmother" is Obaa-chan, most commonly. You can use "Baba," too, but that's not very polite - that's more like "old woman" (like Taiitsukun's nickname, Sunakake Baba).  
--"Grandfather" is Ojii-chan, or Jiji if you wanna be a bit disrespectful. Heh.  
Phew! *Wipes forehead* I'm spent. I probably missed a couple, but that's about as deep into family as I get in this fic, so I won't get into cousins and nieces, 'kay? 

**New Section** I decided to start this, just for kicks. See, I recently started compiling a list of "Useless FY Questions" that I plan to someday put on my website, because, well, there are just some things about FY that need to be asked. But, since I have no idea how long it's gonna take me to make that site, I'm gonna post one question a week in here! ^_^ You're welcome to try and answer these, but they're mean to be silly and rhetorical so you don't really have to.  
_Question of the Week:_ If Miboshi can switch bodies, then what happens to his symbol? Does it travel with him?  
Things that make ya go "hmm"... oh, if anyone has a good question that I can add to my growing list, please feel free to e-mail me or stick it in a review! 

**Answering Reviews** To Draconsis: Heh... it does kinda sound like a love triangle, doesn't it? *Adds "Non-yaoi" to it* Yay! All better!  
To Threshie: Oo, artistic stuff! Actually, I've drawn a few pictures myself, old ones from about 6 months ago, but still... if anyone wants to see what Hikaru/Shuu/Genji-kun look like (1st edition), or if you just wanna see some of Watase-san's pictures of Chichiri/Tasuki/Koji, Eikou Den style (about as close to my timeline as we're gonna get), then check out the link in my "homepage" area on my profile. Have fun! ^_^ 

**Verse Preview?** A short verse next time. We've got a New Year's Party, an Angelic spell and... holy poo! What the scrump do I think I'm doing!? You'll just have to stick around to find out! *Prances away, giggling crazily* 

Insanely Yours,  
Dee ~_^ 


	6. Verse Four: Saigo no Bansan

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

_Author's Note: I have a lot of fun with Japanese puns during one scene in this chapter, which could leave a lot of you readers wondering what in the world I'm talking about, heheh. It's not horribly important that you understand it, but just to help you out a little...  
Chu - the Japanese onomatopoeia for the noise a mouse makes (like "squeak").  
Fuu - wind or breeze  
Ru - to bend  
Nuu - to sew  
Hopefully that'll save everyone from a lot of confusion. ^_^_

**

_Verse Four: Saigo no Bansan  
--The Last Supper--_

**

"The few memories   
Lingering in my heart  
Like fragments of a song   
Hang onto yesterday.  
Seeking for the true future  
The lonely traveler wanders"  
~Takehito Koyasu; "Tooi Yoake" (Faraway Dawn)~

The beginning of the day of New Year's Eve was like any other for Chichiri; he had slipped so quickly into a morning routine at Reikaku that he could practically perform the tasks blind-folded. Wake up. Search for mask on nightstand and put it on. Climb reluctantly out of blankets - Tasuki made Chichiri sleep on the floor, not that the monk minded - and shiver in the early morning air. Attempt to wake Tasuki; get grumbled at for efforts. Open shutters to let in some light. Attempt to wake Tasuki again; get cursed at for efforts. Slip out of pajamas and into everyday clothes. Successfully wake Tasuki, usually with a quick ki zap to the forehead. Wash face; clean teeth; comb hair. Endure the bandit studying him, then grinning victoriously when he found a silver hair among his blue ones. Get called an "Ojii-chan;" hit Tasuki with staff. Go to breakfast.

Yes, life at Reikaku worked just like clockwork, if not entertaining clockwork.

Typcially, after the morning "ritual" had been completed, Chichiri would go to the main dining hall and listen to Hikaru, Koji and Tasuki talk about a number of things while Shuu sulked and Genji gave puppy-dog eyes to the two bandits. This morning, however, things were somewhat different. Tasuki and Koji met each other with the usual morning jokes and news, but Hikaru seemed unusually distant, and Shuu's impatient glare was focused elsewhere, as if she was thinking about something very important. Genji was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that Koji and Tasuki had assigned him to be the head cook for the New Year's Eve meal, and the young man had really dedicated himself to the task; he was already in the kitchens, getting things lined up for the evening festivities.

The Asatenshi sisters' change in moods hadn't meant much to the monk that morning; looking back, he knew that he should have paid more attention to the little things, but at the time it hadn't seemed like such a big deal. Had he been more concerned about their distracted attitudes, he might have been warier that evening; as it was, the monk would be ignorant of one of the women's intentions until it was too late.

After breakfast was over, the group of bandits went their separate ways; today would be a day off for everyone at the stronghold, so most of them went into the living quarters to relax or back to their rooms to sleep some more. Tasuki and Koji headed out back to get a little fresh air; with no better option, Chichiri decided to follow them.

The monk stepped into the chill mid-morning air just in time to hear Tasuki say, "So, how's it goin' between you 'n' Hikaru-san, eh, Koji?" the redhead elbowed his friend. "She looked kinda distracted this mornin' - didja get her alone last night 'r somethin'?"

Koji leaned against a nearby tree, laughing humorlessly. "Hah! She's too busy usin' her energy on someone else t'even notice me."

"Don't give up no da," Chichiri remarked as he came around the corner, smiling cheerfully at the pair of bandits. "If you give it a little time Hikaru-san will get to know you too, no da."

"Chichiri, whadda ya think yer doin', givin' encouragement t'yer rival? Koji's got th' hots fer Hikaru-san almost as much as she's got 'em fer you." Tasuki snickered. "Don't think I ain't seen her, hangin' around you all the time."

The monk shook his head. "It's not like that no da." He leaned against the wall of the stronghold, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Hikaru-san is my friend, not my lover no da. Trust me, she thinks of me more like a brother than anything else no da. Besides, you know I'm not interested in that kind of relationship no da."

Tasuki raised both eyebrows, looking back towards Koji. "Oh? Well in that case, who d'ya think she's noticin' besides you?"

Koji and Chichiri both looked at the redhead in open-mouthed surprise. "You mean you don't know (na no da)?" A headshake. They stared at him blankly. "You _really_ don't know (na no da)?"

The bandit scowled. "I already told ya I didn't! So who th' hell is it, na? One-a th' other bandits're somethin'? Genji-kun? Ken-kun? C'mon, who is it?" Bandit and monk both pointed at Tasuki. He followed their fingers with his eyes, golden orbs widening when he realized they were aimed at him. "Eh!? You think she's got a thing fer me!?"

"Of course no da."

"It's pretty obvious," Koji growled unhappily. Tasuki looked at him, an unspoken question in his eyes. The bandit, understanding his friend, gave an example. "Th' other night, when it was yer turn t'cook, she couldn't stop goin' about how good yer shrimp was. You coulda written a novel about all the things she said about that meal, an' no offense 'r nothin' Genrou, but it wasn't _that great."_

"She did?" Tasuki looked up to the sky, scratching his chin in confusion. "I jus' thought she really liked shrimp..."

Koji stared blankly at his bandit companion, then looked away, shaking his head. "An' _this is th' guy Hikaru-san's attracted to!? I jus' don't get it..."_

Tasuki looked towards Chichiri, obviously confused. "You think Koji's right?" The monk nodded. "Well, it's news t'me." Tasuki paused, then turned back to Koji, grinning. "Hey, at least this way you don't gotta worry about it, pal! I'm about as interested in women as Chichiri is, so Hikaru-san doesn't have any other choice _but _you!"

"Is that supposed to be make me feel better?"

"Didn't it?"

Koji shook his head in disbelief, blue lines appearing under his eyes. "Of all th' bandits on th' mountain... _this guy...?"_

Chichiri chuckled. "Don't worry, Koji. I'm sure once she gets a chance to know you, the two of you will hit it off really well no da. And if you're worried about her feelings for Tasuki, I spoke to her the other day and I don't think it's much more than a crush no da. As soon as Hikaru-san finds out what a hot-headed, violent pyromaniac Tasuki-kun is, she'll probably give him up no da."

"Hey, good point!" Koji remarked, brightening up considerably.

Tasuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good-" he realized what the monk had said about him. "HEY! I ain't that bad!"

"Sou, sou!" his bandit friend agreed, grinning teasingly. "Yer ten times worse!"

"I forgot to mention ill-tempered no da," a chibi Chichiri said with a smile.

"Who asked you, Ojii-chan!?"

The monk popped his friend over the head for the "grandpa" comment, then rubbed a chibi finger in his ear. "I didn't say he was loud either, did I na no da?"

Koji grabbed his redheaded companion in a friendly headlock. "An' about as dense as swamp mud!"

"Ach! Get offa me!"

"Very impatient no da."

"I can't breathe! Koji, leggo!"

"Whiny, too."

"Kuso!"

"Don't forget foul-mouthed no da."

Tasuki, who was still stuck in Koji's headlock, glared at the pair angrily. "Damn smartasses... my ego just went right down the toilet."

"That's what friends are for no da," Chichiri said with a smile. "To remind you that you really aren't as amazing as all those hero-worshippers tell you no da."

"An' t'remind ya that no matter how famous of a seishi y'are, ya still can't escape from yer best friend's Infamous Headlock of Death!" Koji added. "C'mon, say it, b'fore I really put muscle in it!"

"_Hell no! I ain't a kid anymore!"_

The tanned bandit tightened his hold. "Say it, Gen-chan!"

"I'm the leader-a th' Reikaku bandits, dammit! I don't gotta take this!" Tasuki's struggles were proving to be fruitless.

"I don't care if yer th' leader of Konan, yer not movin' 'till I hear it!"

"Fine, fine!" Tasuki lowered his head and muttered, "Koji-senpai is my hero."

"What was that?"

"KOJI-SENPAI IS MY HERO! Ya happy now!?"

The dark-haired bandit released his friend, grinning broadly. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" He put a hand to his chin. "Ah, brought back a lotta memories too, from when I used t'kick ya around all th' time when we were kids... hah, those were th' days, weren't they...?"

The redhead rubbed his neck ruefully. "I didn't like 'em that much..."

"Looks to me like those days are still going on no da." Chichiri said, but his voice held a distinct note of sadness. Watching the two friends brought back some of his own nostalgia; how much would he give to be stuck in one of Hikou's infamous headlocks, if only for one brief moment? The monk watched the two friend's scuffle, smiling gently at the pair. "You're true friends no da. And whatever happens with Hikaru-san, I'm sure you won't lose that no da."

Neither bandit appeared to hear Chichiri. Tasuki had Koji's arms pinned tightly behind his head, and was gradually jerking them farther back. "Okay, now it's _yer turn t'squeal!"_

"I'd rather get my arms pulled off!"

"That c'n be arranged!" Tasuki gave his friend's elbows another good tug.

"Itetete!" Koji grimaced. He gritted his teeth, growling in a barely audible voice: "I'm yer bitch."

"I can't heeeeear you!"

"_I'm yer bitch! Now get off b'fore ya kill me! Baka yarou..."_

Chichiri put a hand against a nearby tree, supporting himself while he chuckled over the bandit's ritual. The chuckle quickly escalated into a full-fledged laugh; it filled the small clearing, echoing gently through the trees and against the side of the stronghold. The sound was a contagious one; before long, the trio of friends were all laughing - Tasuki and Koji holding sore body parts as they did - realizing how silly they must have looked, and relaxing in the peaceful afternoon.

Had they known it was to be one of their last together, they might have enjoyed it more. 

***

Chichiri had been informed that the evening's festivities would probably go on late into the night, maybe even into the next morning. The monk was used to going to bed soon after the sun went down - you couldn't travel well in the dark, after all - so he knew he wouldn't make it through the party if he didn't get in some extra rest. And, since everyone was having a day of rest anyway, he decided to join them and take a sorely needed midafternoon nap.

The monk slept fitfully: he wasn't used to sleeping in the middle of the day, plus he still had a lot of things on his mind. It was strange, he thought to himself, that he would be thinking so much of Hikou and Kouran these days. For nearly ten years now, ever since he'd settled things with Hikou, he had been much more at peace with that horrible accident; it wasn't that he never thought about it, it was just that he didn't think about it quite this much.

_'Before, I couldn't be satisfied because I was always by myself no da. And now, when I finally find a nice place to stay with people I care about, this_ comes back to me na no da?'_ he thought sleepily to himself. __'Daa, how strange... it's almost like I won't allow myself to be happy anywhere no da.'_

Hm. Maybe that was it, then. Maybe he was subconsciously preventing himself from being content with his lifestyle. Maybe, deep down, he didn't think he deserved it. _Did murderers, even unintentional murderers, deserve happiness?_

Chichiri closed his single eye. There was no use thinking about it. Nothing would come out of thinking about it; nothing but restless nights, unsure days, and others being worried about him. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to be concerned on his account; they had too many things on their own minds as it was. Just forget about it. Most people didn't find complete satisfaction with their lives. He should consider himself lucky for being as well-off as he was. Still...

A familiar female voice interrupted him out of his reverie, calling him quietly back to earth. "Chichiri-san? Are you awake?"

"Hai no da. Come on in," he said quietly, opening his eye and sitting up. "And you know, you can just call me Chichiri if you want to, Hikaru-san no da."

She blinked in surprise. "Hontou?" 

"Sure no da," he agreed, gesturing for her to take a seat on Tasuki's bed. "That's what my friends call me, isn't it na no da? And, since you _are one of my friends no da..."_

The young woman smiled, walking quickly over to the bandit's bed and having a seat. "Okay, Chichiri! Then, in that case, you can call me Hi-chan! That's what all of my friends back home call me."

"Hi-chan," he said it with a chuckle, "I've never heard Shuu-san call you that."

"Shuu-chan isn't much of a nickname person. It's just not in her nature, I suppose." Hikaru never talked about her sister's emotions - or her own, come to think of it - for very long periods of time. She swiftly changed the subject. "I came here to ask you a question, if that's not too much trouble."

"Ask away, no da."

Hikaru smoothed out her skirts. She was wearing a periwinkle dress today, with a pale pink sash and trim of the same color; it was a much more elegant than her former clothing. Chichiri assumed she wanted to look good for the party that evening. "Eto, I was just wondering... where do you plan on going, once the New Year's celebrations are over?"

The monk leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the ceiling of his temporary room. "I'm not completely sure no da. I think I'll head to the city at the foot of Reikaku, for starters, and stay there for a little while no da. I want to take a little time to reflect, and to weigh my options. Then, I'll probably settle down in the city, probably near where Shuu-san studies; I'm getting a bit tired of traveling no da."

Hikaru clapped her hands together happily. "Oh, good! I was worried that the two of us might part ways soon, but since I'll be staying with Shuu-chan for a time we can continue to see each other!" She smiled and blushed a little. "I would have hated to say farewell to you so quickly, Chichiri."

"I guess I would have felt the same no da." The monk looked towards his new companion, a small, teasing smile on his lips. "So, do you plan on going back home after your visit with Shuu-san na no da?"

Asatenshi blushed a deep red, looking down at her hands. "That depends on Shuu-chan's reaction to my staying with her... as well as the feelings of somebody else..."

"A certain bandit na no da?"

"Chichiri is perceptive as well as wise." Hikaru's emerald eyes moved back up, until they were meeting his masked ones. She frowned thoughtfully. "Chichiri is also very unusual. I can't tell anything about you, when you wear your mask. Whether you're happy, sad, troubled... your false face turns them all into cheerfulness."

"That's the point no da."

"Is it really that important for you to keep your own feelings a secret?"

The monk touched his mask, frowning slightly. "No, that's not it... I just don't want to worry anyone else, that's all no da."

"But if you don't have anyone to worry about you, then what's the point of living?" Chichiri didn't answer Hikaru's question; he didn't have an answer to give. The young woman continued. "Do you think you could take it off, please? After the other day... I feel like I've been talking to Chichiri the smiling monk all this time, instead of Chichiri the man."

The seishi had never had anyone request for him to _remove_ his mask; he was too surprised to do anything but comply. Chichiri set the piece of material close by, so he could grab it as soon as possible. "Is that better no da?"

"Arigatou, Chichiri! I know that must have sounded silly, but... I think you're a little more open without it. I feel like I know you, but that I don't know you at all, even after all the time we've spent together." Hikaru smiled, blushing slightly. "That doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Sure it does no da," he agreed, resisting the urge to slip the cloth back onto his face; he was so used to wearing it these days that he felt more like himself with it than without it. "I feel the same way about you no da. You've talked about your home, your family, your friends and the people here on Reikaku, but you've never really talked much about yourself no da." Chichiri chuckled. "I guess we're kindred spirits in that sense no da."

Hikaru smiled. "Do I do that? I guess I never realized." She stood, hands clasped politely in front of her. "All right then, Chichiri! From this day forward, I promise to talk more about myself, so you can feel like you know me without _not_ knowing me. Demo [But]..." she winked, "_you_ have to promise to do the same thing for me. Deal?"

The monk returned her friendly smile. "Deal no da." Asatenshi's grin quickly transformed into a concerned frown. "Doshita na no da?"

"Hm, it's nothing..." Hikaru hesitated, then decided to continue. "It's just, when you smile without your mask, you look like something is always bothering you. It's not an _un_happy smile, but it's never empty of sadness. Does your past really bother you that much? Twenty-plus years are enough for humans to forget about sorrow... aren't they?"

The monk was startled for the second time that day by the woman's questions; so surprised, in fact, that for one of the first times in twenty years he spoke straight from his heart. "It is, but when you still have questions about that sorrow, questions that can't be answered until you die, then it's hard to be completely happy no da. It's hard not to have at least a few troubles on your mind no da."

"Until you die..." Hikaru frowned, a look that seemed both troubled and - for some reason - confused. She smiled quickly, but Chichiri was surprised to see the faint hint of tears in her eyes. "I have decided," Asatenshi said quietly. "That I'm going to figure it out."

"Figure out what no da?"

"How to erase it," she explained. "I'm going to learn how to erase all that pain, and help you be completely, one-hundred percent happy again! Because, someday... I'd like to see you really smile, if only once." The young woman leaned down next to her friend, winking and flashing a victory sign. "That, Chichiri, is a promise from Asatenshi Hikaru, and I never break my promises."

The monk blinked, bewildered by her sudden statement. No one had ever, not in his entire life, offered to do something like that for him. Chichiri doubted that the task could be completed, but looking into Hikaru's emerald eyes, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she _would _find some way to do what she said. Slowly, a gentle smile touched his unmasked face. Chichiri was touched, and he told her just that. "I don't know what to say no da. Arigatou."

Asatenshi curled her eyes upwards in a Chichiri-smile. "Well, that's what friends are for, deshou?" The woman pulled away, pointed her noise to the air, and sniffed. "Mm, can you smell that? I think Genji-kun's 'Amazing Reikaku Feast' must be just about ready! We should head down to the party."

Chichiri stood quickly, putting his mask back onto his face. "Good idea no da. I wasn't hungry until I smelled that, but now my nose is telling my stomach that it's starving no da."

Hikaru giggled. The monk started towards the door, with the Asatenshi woman close behind. He turned the corner to head towards the dining hall, only to run slap-bang into Shuu. "Daa!"

Shuu stumbled back a couple of steps, a pale white crystal falling out of her hand and onto the floor. "Hey! Watch where you're going, will you? You're the ki-senser around here, after all."

Chichiri chuckled. "I must have gotten careless for a moment no da." He noticed the crystal that Shuu had dropped; the monk knelt down to pick it up. "Here you dropped this no-" as his hand touched it, he recoiled slightly; the gem was filled to the brim with unusual magic. It's power was a strange paradox, both gentle and terrible; he couldn't decide whether the feel of all that alien strength comforted him or scared him.

The younger Asatenshi snatched the white crystal up quickly, bringing her hand back to hide it in her sleeve. "Thanks anyway, but I can get it myself."

Chichiri looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowed together thoughtfully. "That stone... it was full of magic no da. What _was_ that...?"

Shuu glared at him, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. "Stay out of my business, monk," she snapped, turning hurriedly away from the duo and towards the dining hall, "and _I_ will stay out of yours."

The monk watched her go, confusion written clearly on his masked face. "Nani o...?"

Hikaru sighed, putting a hand to her cheek. "Shuu-chan, what am I going to do with you? She's so secretive. I apologize." She turned on her heel, heading down the hall the way her sister had gone. "Well, come on, let's not let that interrupt the evening! Tasuki-san said tonight is going to be amazing, and I don't doubt his words! Hayaku [Hurry], Chichiri! Shuu-chan's sour mood isn't going to ruin _my_ festive spirit, I assure you of that!"

The Asatenshi woman caught up quickly with her sister. The two exchanged looks that neither could read; looks of danger and foreboding. 

"I won't allow you to harm him."

"You don't have any say in the matter, Nee-san."

"We'll see about that. I'm preparing myself for the worst. It will happen soon," one assumed quietly.

The other's glare and voice did not waver. "You had better prepare quickly, then. It will happen _tonight."_

***

The evening was only a few hours old, but already it lived up to Tasuki's expectations; the food was spectacular, the drinks were great, and spirits were at their highest. Chichiri couldn't count the number of times he'd toasted to someone's health - he suspected that if all the toasts came true, every bandit in the stronghold would probably live until they were a hundred - or the number of delicious foods he'd tasted. 

This was the first time the monk had seen all of the bandits together at once, and it gave him an idea of just how hard it must have been for Tasuki and Koji to keep everyone in order. Chichiri knew that he'd never be able to remember them all by their names, but he decided to do his best to remember them by their faces. After all, if he planned to live close by, he should at least get to know the locals. The table he now sat at was occupied by Koji, Tasuki, Hikaru and Shuu, as well as Genji and the most recently accepted gang members Ryo and Ken. 

The new bandit Ryo was a short, broad-shouldered young man somewhere around the age of twenty-five. He had a layer of rough stubble on his cheeks, a head of short black hair, and eyes the color of rain-filled clouds. He was well-mannered, but somber and extremely quiet. 

His friend and fellow newcomer, Ken, was a completely different story. He was short like his companion, but with a much leaner build. He was clean-shaven, wore his long, dark purple hair back in a ponytail, and had eyes that reminded the monk of a cloudless summer sky. The young man, also in his mid-twenties, was extremely friendly and charming; he almost always had a small smile on his face or a joke on his lips. Nevertheless, Chichiri wasn't sure if he liked either of them.

To Genji's extreme pleasure, Tasuki and Koji had declared him the greatest cook the mountain had ever seen, as well as the official head chef of the Reikaku bandits. Genji could hardly contain his excitement, and he spent a good portion of the evening blushing happily and babbling about how great of an honor it all was.

Shuu was silent for most of the meal, as usual, hard green eyes constantly darting around the table, almost as if she were too shy - or too ashamed - to look at any of them for a very long time.

Hikaru got along well with everyone, once more as usual, even Tasuki; once she had finished an entertaining tale about her childhood, she had asked him to tell her a few things about himself and the gang. Surprised that the talkative woman had requested that he "take the floor," Tasuki dazedly told her the story of how he became Reikaku's leader. Hikaru paid rapt attention, practically hanging on his every word. Though he'd never admit it, the bandit was starting to like her, or at least tolerate her.

"So _that's how it happened? Tasuki-san, no wonder you're the leader! To do something that brave and daring...! It's all very admirable."_

Tasuki rubbed the back of his head. "Nah, it wasn't nothin', really..." remembering Koji's attraction to Hikaru, the bandit decided to help his friend out. "An' I had a lotta help from Koji here; there's no way I woulda survived if it hadn't been fer him. In fact, I bet he's got a lotta stories he c'd tell too..."

"Of course," she said quickly, brushing away his suggestion. "So, Tasuki-san, you and Chichiri-san traveled together with the other seishi, deshou? I bet you have plenty of adventures during _those journeys! And I'm sure you were just as brave-"_

_Snap! _

Everyone jumped at the unusual noise, then looked over at Koji to see that his chopsticks had cracked in his hand. 

Genji didn't miss the look on the older bandit's face, though he couldn't quite place what emotions that look expressed. "Koji-sama, daijoubu ka?" the youth asked with concern. 

The dark-haired man blinked in surprise, looking down at his splintered chopsticks. "Ano..." he looked up. "I'm fine, Genji-kun," he said with a forced smile. He did his best to get his emotions under control. He couldn't let the others know that Hikaru's blow-off had been like a knife to the heart, or that her extreme interest in his best friend was only driving the blade deeper. He wasn't the kind of person who got angry over that kind of thing... was he? "Shuu-san, could you pass me another pair of chopsticks, please?"

The younger Asatenshi woman did as she was told. She drummed her fingers lightly on the table, glaring at her older sister impatiently. "I bet Koji-san's tired of this conversation. It isn't like he hasn't heard Ahou's stories a million times."

Hikaru frowned. "Well, I've never heard them, and I'm sure Ryo-san and Ken-san haven't either."

A small chuckle spilled from Ken's ever-smiling lips. It was a strange sound, one that seemed to contradict itself, being both friendly and dangerous all at once. "You'd be surprised how many times the two of us have heard them. There's very little to do during the winter, so we get to hear the famous Reikaku stories more often than is probably healthy. Wouldn't you agree, Ryo?"

"Gettin' tired of 'em," he replied shortly.

"I never get tired of them, te kanjii!" Genji spoke up with a smile.

"Well, I've only heard one and I'm already sick of it. How about we tell them in moderation, if we have to tell them at all?" Shuu snapped impatiently. "It'll save Koji-san-tachi a lot of boredom."

Hikaru sniffed and turned away. "Oh, all right." She smiled winningly at Tasuki. "Later tonight, then, shall you tell me another? I have so much to learn about the gods, and about their servants that I never thought existed."

"Ah, I guess so... but, really, Koji's got some great ones too, y'know..."

Genji frowned unhappily at Shuu. "Oi, Nee-san, you spoiled the fun. Maybe you don't like Tasuki-sama's stories, but I do, te kanjii!"

"Listen up Brown-Noser," the sister growled across the table. "I'm not your 'Nee-san,' you got that? If you're gonna talk to me at all, then call me by my name."

"But I never learned your name..."

"Then you ought to ask. It's Shuu."

Genji cocked his head. "Chu?" He held up a mouse to make his point.

"No, moron! Shuu!"

The young bandit fanned Ryo, producing a breeze. "Fuu?"

"Shuu! Shuu!"

He looked at her blankly, bending at the waist. "Ru?"

The young Asatenshi woman gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her impatience. Green power licked around her fingers. "What part of 'Shuu' could you possibly _not understand, baka!?"_

Hikaru jumped up, grabbing her little sister by the shoulders. "Shuu-chan, calm down, calm down! He just misunderstood you, that's all!"

Genji thumped his fist into his open palm, nodding in sudden understanding. "Ah! I finally figured it out! Hah, I feel really stupid now, te kanjii!"

Shuu relaxed visibly, but her glare on the young bandit didn't lesson. "Oh, did you, Genji-kun?"

He nodded knowingly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes ma'am! Geez, I don't know how I could have heard wrong!" He produced a needle and thread from thin air. "It's Nuu, isn't it?"

Everyone present at the table face-vaulted.

Chichiri sat up, taking a sip of sake - he wasn't much of a drinker, but it _was the New Year after all - and chuckling. "We'll write it out for you later, Genji-kun no da." The monk glanced towards Tasuki. "Oi Tasuki-kun, it's almost midnight, isn't it na no da?"_

The bandit leader looked out the window of the hideout, checking the height of the moon. The glowing orb had nearly reached its zenith; the New Year had almost arrived. "Hey, yer right! Okay, c'mon, everyone get a glass-a sake, it's bad luck not t'have a shot at midnight. You too, Hikaru-san, Gaki."

Shuu turned her glare on him. "What'd I tell you about calling me that, Ahou?"

Tasuki ignored her. "Oi, Koji, hand me that bottle, will ya? Thanks. Okay, 'Chiri, yer turn, fill it right up t'the top... there ya go! Haha, now _this is a celebration!" He noticed Genji messing with something. "Oi, Genji-kun, what are those, na?" _

The young man held up a couple of red sticks, grinning widely. "Hanabi [fireworks], Gen-sama! I swiped them from a stand in the city! What do you think, pretty nice way to bring in the New Year, isn't it?"

"Sure, sure, but ya gotta take 'em outside if ya wanna light 'em!"

Genji hopped towards the door, cuddling the pair of rockets to his chest and smiling. "I named them 'Koji-sama' and 'Gen-sama'! Big blasts and high bursts are a sign of good luck, you know! Aaaaah, my beloved hanabi will soar just like their beloved namesakes, te kanjii! May their paths be true and their colors outshining even the very stars around them, te kanjiiii!"

Tasuki and Koji both sweatdropped. "He's a good kid, but we're gonna have t'talk t'him about comments like that," the dark-haired bandit remarked.

"Oi, minna-san," Ken said with a smile as he poked his head out the window. "The moon has reached it's peak! May the ceremonies continue as planned?"

"Oryaa!" half the bandits cried, raising their glasses. "Happy New Year, minna!"

Chichiri stood and raised his sake cup with the rest of them, smiling happily and thinking that there was no better way to end a year and enter a new one...

_"And so, the time has come."_

The voice came within the monk's head, and it froze every muscle in his body. The room dimmed and faded, leaving nothing but himself and a woman across from him. The woman glowed with dazzling emerald power; all Chichiri could see clearly were a pair of green eyes and a head of raven-blue hair. _"Asatenshi-!?"_

_"I apologize for the intrusion upon your evening, but my Master has requested it."_

Chichiri was frozen in place; even if he had wanted to move, he didn't know where he could move in this world of blackness. _"Requested it? Requested what na no da?"_

_"Your extermination," the woman said simply, her thin lips set in a grim line. She closed her eyes tightly, and began to chant a curious spell._

_"Seven Holy Oaths of Strength and I choose number three  
Memories lie within and nostalgia is the key.  
Angels above, Demons below, and They That Lie Between  
Lend me all your strength and take him to his dream."_

Her eyes opened suddenly, and green power flared around her slim hands. _"Vanish, all that is reality! Vanish, all that is magic! Eradicate yourselves from this world, and from this man! Disappear, Ri Houjun!"_

The emerald power traversed the space between the two before Chichiri could react; it shot towards him like an arrow, wrapped around his body, then spun straight through his disfigured eye. Pain flared across his scar, coloring it a brilliant red; he gritted his teeth against it, but was unable to fight back or call for help. The pain rose in volume, crescendoed to a pitch, then disappeared in a flash of crimson blood and emerald power.

And then Chichiri heard nothing, saw nothing, was nothing; and his entire world vanished into darkness.

*****  
*****

  
_Author's Mundane Ramblings: July 21, 2003, 12:42 AM (yes, yes, I never sleep)_

Hao, minna-san!  
Well, this verse was a little late in coming, as warned: I didn't get back from Colorado 'till late Saturday night, and I didn't have time to edit and post 'till now. But hey, on the bright side, Verse Five will be out on Friday, so ya won't have as long to wait! ^_^

**Random Chapter Comments** "Aaaaaah!" you all screamed. Yes, it's true, I've unleashed the plot on you, left you with a cliffhanger, and I'm afraid that all I can say is: "Mwahahaha...!"  
Honestly, why must I be this evil?

**Japanese 101** I'm a bit braindead, so we'll just go with a few particles today, all right?  
--"ka" indicates a question. For example: "Chichiri ga kawaii desu ka?" (Is Chichiri a cutie? Why yes. Yes he is. ^_^)  
--"yo" and "da" add emphasis to a word or sentence. Example: "Chichiri, daisuki da yo" (Chichiri, I love you!! Which I do...)  
--"no" is a possessive particle that can be read as "'s" or "of." Example: "Tasuki no tessen" can be read as both "Tasuki's tessen" and "the tessen of Tasuki." Got it? Yeah, that one's pretty simple.  
--"ni" is kind of tricky. It indicates location, and translates to any of these: "in, on, to, at."  
That's all my brain can handle today. I think I'm going to drop this section, 'cause I seriously doubt that anyone is very interested with it... unless, of course, someone begs me to continue, then I guess I will... but otherwise, this is the last session of Dee-chan Japanese.

_Question of the Week:_ After Suzaku was sealed, Chichiri still wore his mask. But wasn't the cloth enchanted? Wouldn't it have fallen off?

**Verse Preview?** Well, the New Year's party has been ruined, to say the least. (Okay, but what about Chichiri?) I'm also going to delve into Tasuki's psyche for the first, but certainly not last, time. (Okay, but what about Chichiri!?) And which of the sisters cast the spell? Which didn't? Will those answers even begin to be revealed? Probably not. (Okay, what about-!?) But you will at least find out what happened to Chichiri. (THANK YOU!)

A Maniacal Author, and Proud of It,  
Dee ~_^ 


	7. Verse Five: Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

The Free Site 

  
_Translation note: "Kimochi warui" is literally "bad feeling," but I've seen it translated as "how disgusting" (The famous last words in "End of Evangelion," anyone?). Also, as you may have noticed, from time to time Genji-kun will say "te kanjii." I'm not completely sure how you translate it, but it's a little like how a valley girl might so "totally" or "and stuff." Basically, it's a speech ending with a bit more, um... "flair," we'll say, than "no da."  
And no, folks, I didn't write the "mysterious voice" in lowercase on accident. Along with the bold print, it's meant to convey a sense of contradiction, being both strong and weak... and, now that I've completely confused you, I'm going to shut up and just let you read. Enjoy!_

Delving into Tasuki's psyche is fun... unfortunately, I doubt that I'll be doing much more of it until the Second Movement... ah, well, them's the breaks...

**_Verse Five: Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore  
--Heart! Return to Your Origin--_**

"Where am I?  
I don't know  
I can't see anyone.  
What did I eventually do?   
Even memories fade.  
Like it conceals everything   
A gray wind blows through"  
~Weiss Kreuz; "Last in My Winds"~

The rest of the party did not notice Chichiri's struggle. They didn't see him freeze in surprise; didn't see his masked face's look of fear; didn't see his forehead tighten with inner pain. No one paid any attention to the monk's problems until he gave a short sigh, almost like an engine letting off steam, and collapsed in a dead faint to the floor below.

Tasuki jerked his head around, startled by the noise of his friend and - because of their connection as seishi - the strange feel of his life force. "Chichiri!?" The bandit knelt next to his friend, touching a hand to his arm. "Oi, oi, Chichiri, wake up!" He shook him gently. "Chichiri? Chichiri!?"

Koji heard his friend's calls. The bandit leaned his head over the table, mouth dropping open in surprise. "W-what th'... Genrou, what's wrong with him?"

"I, I dunno..." Tasuki looked up, fear and concern etched clearly in his expressive face. "He jus' passed out... his ki - his life force - it doesn't feel right..."

A wail of fear rent the evening air, bringing all the bandits' attention to their leader's table. "_Chichiri_!"

Tasuki and Koji's heads jerked up to see Hikaru dashing around the table and towards them, near-panic in her emerald eyes. She dropped quickly to the monk's side, grabbing his wrist and searching frantically for a pulse. After a moment she put her ear to his chest, checking to make sure he was still breathing. Her head came up after a moment; she looked visibly relieved, but extremely shaken, and the tears in her eyes were clear to see. "Thank the Mother, he's still alive."

"What happened to him?" Tasuki demanded roughly. "Can ya tell? D'ya know?"

Hikaru brushed a sleeve across her eyes, shaking her head. "I can't tell right now. I need to check his other vitals." She turned her emerald orbs back to the monk, a trembling hand touching his cheek lightly. "He seems to have just fallen asleep. However..."

"His ki don't feel right," Tasuki finished.

"Exactly," the young woman said quietly. She looked back at the two bandits. "Can we take him out of here, please? Do you have an infirmary, or...?"

The bandit seishi shook his head, but jerked a thumb in the direction of the sleeping quarters. "We'll take him back t'my room... t'our room." Tasuki picked his friend up almost effortlessly; Chichiri had a lean frame, and he was a lot lighter than he appeared. "Once there, yer gonna find out what's wrong with him."

Hikaru nodded. On an impulse, she turned back to the table, to where Shuu was still sitting. The younger sister looked completely nonplussed. The older Asatenshi's voice seemed to almost have a note of anger in it. "Shuu-chan, will you please come too? You studied medicine a little longer than I did... maybe you can help me figure out what's wrong with Chichiri."

Shuu shrugged, then wordlessly got up and followed Hikaru, Koji and Tasuki down the hall.

Tasuki looked down at his unconscious friend, biting his lip and praying to Suzaku that the unusual feel of Chichiri's life force was just his imagination, and nothing more. The bandit had always taken the monk's calm, dependable presence for granted; he had been someone who would always be there, if Tasuki ever needed him. To have him just collapse like that was too unnerving for the bandit's tastes... too unnerving, and much too frightening. Other than Koji, Chichiri was all he had left in the world; they were the only close friends he had from his younger years. His only links to the past, to his dead companions... he couldn't let it happen to another one... not to another one...

The leader of the Reikaku bandits closed his eyes and shook his head hard. _No. He wouldn't think about that. He had finished thinking about that years ago. Chichiri was strong, a lot stronger than he looked, maybe even stronger than Tasuki was. It wasn't going to happen. _Nothing was going to happen_. At least, not while he had anything to say about it._

Koji walked closely behind Hikaru, hazel eyes reading a blend of concern for the monk and for the young woman he cared about. The bandit wanted to comfort the distraught Asatenshi sister... she needed to be comforted, and obviously Shuu and Tasuki weren't going to be the ones to offer that help. Koji reached out a hand and hesitantly let it fall on Hikaru's trembling shoulder. "Ah, Hikaru-san..."

She stiffened slightly, then turned and looked at Koji. "Mitsuragi-san?"

"Call me Koji," he said automatically. "Listen. Chichiri's gonna be all right. He's been through a lotta stuff, prob'ly more'n Genrou has. He'll pull through okay. Don't worry."

Asatenshi's worried frown curled into a small, troubled smile. She whispered her words of gratitude; if she tried to speak too loudly, she was afraid she would start crying again. "Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san."

Shuu walked up next to the two, sniffing disdainfully. "Get yourself under control. Nobody likes a crybaby, Nee-san."

Hikaru looked at her sister in shock, then whirled away with tears in her green eyes. "Nee-san, hidoi [how cruel]!"

The bandit co-leader didn't respond to Shuu's remark; he was too preoccupied at the moment, plus he wasn't sure what he could have said to the younger sister. The image of that tortured Angel drawing was still etched much too firmly in his mind for comfort, and he wasn't sure what to think of Shuu just yet. 

As Koji opened his mouth to say something else to Hikaru, the Disciple to the Mother quickened her pace to catch up with Tasuki. His hand dropped from her shoulder as she moved away; the bandit was left by himself once again. He frowned unhappily; he had been so close, too. "Hikaru-san..." 

Shuu stared hard at Koji; he noticed her look, and turned in her direction. The younger Asatenshi turned her head away in disgust. "Ch! Kimochi warui."

Once again, he didn't bother answering. Koji didn't have the energy to say something to that. Not now, not with Chichiri the way he was and Hikaru so troubled. The bandit co-leader gestured for Shuu to move faster, and the pair caught up with the other members of their group. The four companions, united in their cause for the moment, walked quickly down the hall and towards Tasuki's room, all but one of them praying that the monk would be all right. 

***

The bandits in the dining hall chattered quickly after the five had departed. "The new monk visitor suddenly passed out?" "Did he drink too much sake?" "No, that's not it." "Genrou looked worried, so did Koji." "Th' leaders don't get worried easily." "Ah, well, he'll prob'ly be okay." "We have other things t'worry about, like that rival gang that's givin' us trouble." "That's right." "The monk'll be fine." "So will the leaders." "Pass s'more sake, will ya?" "Oh, sure, here ya go."

Everyone took part in the curious speculation; everyone except one young bandit, who was still ignorant to the events that had occurred.

Genji sat outside, fiddling with a piece of tinder and trying to light his twin rockets. "C'mon, c'mon... I don't want to miss any more of the party, te kanjii! Catch flame, will you...?"

The young man smiled happily as he got a spark going. He grabbed the fireworks, propping them up against a nearby boulder - pointed away from the hideout, of course - and started to quickly light the two. "Hanabi Koji-sama, Hanabi Gen-sama, fly straight and true. Bring good luck to your namesakes by brightening the sky on this happy New Year."

Genji set fire to the pair, then backed up to a safe distance and prepared to watch the show. He smiled, turning somewhat chibi as he crooned quietly to himself. "Aaah, Koji-sama, Gen-sama, there's nothing more in the world I want than to give you the best of luck this year, te kanjii!"

The young man grinned broadly, turning his eyes to the heavens as the wicks burned down and the rockets took flight. His smile was short-lived - in fact, it vanished completely after only a few seconds, and transformed very quickly into a distressed frown. Genji felt an ominous feeling start to churn in the pit of his stomach; this was a bad omen. "Shimatta..."

The two rockets had not gone off. 

They had never even made it to the star-streaked sky.

The Koji-sama and Gen-sama had fizzled out and fallen before even reaching the tree line. 

***

_Chichiri__ came back to himself slowly and gradually, almost as if someone were reconnecting his nerves to his mind one by one. He opened his eye after a moment, only to find himself in a world of complete darkness. He looked down, and was happy to note that he could see his own body - he omitted a faint red and grey light, though he wasn't sure why - but was quite disturbed to realize that he couldn't see anything else. He reached out with his feet; he seemed to be standing on something, but when he pressed down that "something" wasn't there anymore. Was he floating? He didn't feel like he was floating... _

_"Confusing, no da..." he murmured to the darkness. Chichiri closed his eye for a moment - the feeling of weightlessness was starting to make him dizzy - but decided he disliked the sensation of being completely disconnected from the world even less. He opened his single mahogany orb once again. "Very strange. Where am I na no da?"_

**_you_****_ are here.___**

_Chichiri__ jumped at the alien voice, jerking his head around to search out the speaker in the black void. "Dare... doko... no da...?"_

**_do_****_ not bother searching. on the Spiritual Plane, bodies are meaningless. you were only allowed to retain yours so you would feel more comfortable. ___**

_ The monk unintentionally quivered when She spoke. It was the most unusual voice had ever heard; impossible to describe, because it was a complete contradiction of itself. Gentle and harsh, kind and merciless, humourous and solemn, joyful and sad, thoughtful and frivolous. It was so loud that it hurt his ears, yet so quiet that he had to strain to hear it. How could one entity be all of that at once!? ___

_ Chichiri was caught in the paradox of that voice, trapped and overwhelmed. He felt that he had collapsed to his knees, but since there was no ground it was impossible to tell. He hoped that he had, though he didn't completely understand why; something in Her tone just commanded respect._

_In fact, the only thing he could truly discern from the speaker was that it was most definitely female. He focused on that point of the voice, tried to keep himself from vertigo by hanging on to the one thing he truly knew. He gripped that with every ounce of strength he had, and managed to ask in a hushed voice. "Who are you na no da?"_

**_do_****_ you not know?___**

_As soon as the question was asked, Chichiri realized that he did know. "I do," he replied timidly, "but I don't know what to call You no da."_

**_call_****_ me nothing, then. i simply am. that is all you need to know for now.___**

_"Hai," he whispered. He lowered his eye, though he wondered if it did any good; who could say which direction was up in this world? The monk paused, hesitated; wondered what in the world he should say. What in the world could _he say? Finally, he mustered up enough courage to speak. "What am I doing here na no da? Am I dead? Is that it no da?"__

**_dead_****_? no, not dead. not yet, anyway. __She paused, and Chichiri could feel her studying him, penetrating through his mask, through his skin, and into his very soul.** ...tell me something, Masked Monk. what is it that you desire? of all the things in this universe, of all the things that are possible within and without the barriers of Time and Law... what is it that you wish for?**_**

_Chichiri__ had never been asked something like that before, and in truth he didn't know how to reply. After a moment's thought, he supplied the best answer he could find. "I guess I'd just like to be happy with life, and protect the people I love no da," but in the same breath, he added meekly, "without any limitations no da?"_

**_yes_****_. you have more to say. it is impossible to hide thoughts and feelings here. do not fight it. speak freely.___**

_The monk realized that Her words were correct; as soon as he thought it, the words spilled from his mouth. "I'd like to have my family and my friends, Hikou and Kouran, back no da. Even though I know it's impossible, even though I know it's foolish and selfish of me... I'd like them all back no da." Chichiri inhaled deeply, fighting to keep himself from shaking even more than he already was. It was extremely unpleasant, being in front of her, and with his most recent answers he knew She probably wasn't pleased. "That's all no da."_

**_then_****_, you believe that it is right to deny the Dead their rest?_**

_"Of course it's not right no da!" Chichiri protested passionately. "I told you, I know it's selfish of me! I would never choose_ to bring them back, never no da! But You didn't say these were things that would come true. You just asked what I wanted no d-!" He turned chibi for a moment and put a hand to his mouth; Chichiri had been so offended by Her accusation that he only now realized he had been shouting at Her. "Daa... I'm going to be sent to Hell for that, aren't I na no da?"__

_She seemed to chuckle, if only a little. **unlikely****. speaking the truth is not reason for punishment, not by my standards. tell me... why do you wish this? why do you request the past?**_

_"Because..." Chichiri didn't realize he was speaking, at first; he thought he had been thinking his words, getting them into order, but somehow they had tumbled out of his mouth as soon as they came to his mind. "Because, I guess, because the past was never really settled no da. I still have so many questions, about that day, about all those horrible things that happened... I can't help but ask for the past. It's the only thing in my life that's completely uncertain anymore no da. Uncertainty is a weakness. So were the sins that happened that night. I suppose people hang onto their weaknesses, because their strengths are too untrustworthy no da." Chichiri paused; he had never said that sort of thing out loud before. "That's what I think, anyway no da."_

**_indeed_****_? __She seemed impressed, though the monk had no idea why. **such**_**** thoughts do not come easily to any, especially Those That Lie Between. clearly, my Choice was not unwise. nevertheless, you are still torn between your conflicting universes. no. it is not quite the time. i leave you to your struggle, for now. then, then we shall see.**

_"Da?" the monk stood quickly, jerking his head around and trying to penetrate the shadows. "What do you mean? I don't understand no da. Choice? Struggles? 'They That Lie Between?' Please, explain it to me no da!"_

**_not_****_ yet. not quite. there is no time, and it would do no good now. already the Angel's power has taken hold; you will soon forget. I hope that we will meet again. i believe we will. but even i cannot see the future. if not, then perhaps the mistake was mine. but i doubt that i am mistaken. ___**

_"Ch-chotto [Wait]-!"__ Chichiri wanted to say more, but he couldn't seem to get his mouth to work. Just as he had slowly emerged in this world, he could feel himself leaving it. His senses were slowly disconnecting themselves from his brain, and speech had been the first thing to go. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was gone completely, and that thought would have caused him to tremble had he been able to move his body._

_In mere seconds the monk could feel himself vanishing from the void, feel himself being swept elsewhere by the same grey fog that had brought him to this place that was no place. His mind fuzzed out; his thoughts and memories dissolved and disappeared one by one, like so many flimsy soap bubbles bursting into nothing. Soon all that was left was darkness._

_The last thing Chichiri heard before he was swept into complete unconsciousness was the voice of that woman, the woman who was known without a name._

**_there_****_ is strength in all pain, however small. do not lose faith, Masked Monk._**

**_eternal_****_ truth, shine through._ **

***

Tasuki set Chichiri gently down on the monk's makeshift bed on the floor. He crouched next to his friend, just to make sure he was still breathing normally, then hopped up and began to circle the room restlessly. The other three entered soon after; Tasuki gestured for Hikaru to get to work.

Hikaru took a seat on the floor, next to Chichiri. She touched a shaking hand to his forehead and closed her eyes; the seishi bandit couldn't tell what she was doing, but she appeared to be concentrating hard, so he left her to her work. Shuu took a seat on Tasuki's bed - her quick glare silenced his demand for her to "move her Gaki ass" - and watched Hikaru's actions with a look of amused interest on her face.

Koji stood near the door, wondering what in the world he could possibly do. He studied Hikaru for a moment, then came to the same conclusion Tasuki had and decided to leave her to her own devices. His hazel eyes flitted quickly across Shuu - he wasn't interested in getting that sharp glare on him again - then over to his best friend. Tasuki was pacing the room anxiously, shooting nervous glances at Hikaru and Chichiri from time to time. He reminded Koji of a caged wolf; a fitting comparison, he thought with a small smile.

The Reikaku leader knew helping Hikaru was a lost cause, and Shuu didn't seem to need any help, so he decided to focus his attention on Tasuki. As the bandit paced by him again, Koji touched a hand to his shoulder. "You okay, Genrou?" 

Tasuki jumped a little; Koji seemed to have knocked him out of his own private world. "Eh? Yeah, yeah, sure, I'm fine..." he turned to glance at his seishi companion again, almost as if he was afraid that if he looked away for too long Chichiri might disappear. Well, that was what had happened with the others, wasn't it? The one minute he'd left them, the one second he'd lowered his guard...

_No. Don't think about that. Never think about that. Keep going. Move ahead. Live. He had taught himself that a long time ago, back when Nuriko... no, before that, even. When Reirei had died. When he'd been unable to save her. It was the only way to get through hard times. Don't think about them. _Ever.__

That was why he'd come back to Reikaku, wasn't it? Why he and Chichiri had practically avoided one another for ten years? It was so he could keep away that kind of pain, right? So he wouldn't have to think about that kind of stuff again, wasn't it? So what right did the monk have to bring those things back down on his head...?

_No. Stop. That was unfair. And stupid. It wasn't Chichiri's fault. His worry, his pain; those weren't Chichiri's burdens to carry. It wasn't the monk's weaknesses that had caused this. It wasn't their weaknesses that had caused them to die. Of course not. Stupid. _

Then who's fault was it? Who was to blame?

Who had turned their back for two seconds and let it happen?

_Who?_

_No. Don't think about it. The bandits were his main concern now. The stronghold. Koji. Chichiri. Not the past. Never the past._

Keep going. Move ahead. Live.

"...Genrou?"

The seishi bandit shook his head hard, brushing off Koji's hand and moving to stand closer to Hikaru. "I'm fine, Koji. Don't worry so much." 

Tasuki moved away before Koji could respond. He didn't want his best friend to have a chance to respond. Koji knew him too well, and he could probably tell what was going on inside of him. But he didn't want to talk about it; not now, not in front of them. He didn't want the Asatenshi sisters to know about that. He didn't want them to know about his weakness. He didn't trust them.

Or was it someone else that he didn't trust...?

Stop thinking. It's too quiet. Say something. "How is he? What happened? Was it stress'r somethin'? Is he gonna be okay?"

Hikaru's voice shook slightly; she had been fighting back tears all night. "I... I can't tell. Chichiri's heart rate, pulse, breathing... everything's a little slower, but it's not unnatural. It's not even a coma. It's like, it's like he's just sleeping. Except I know that isn't it; his life force just doesn't feel right."

"Ya can't tell?" Tasuki demanded roughly, one hand gripped tightly against the wood of his dresser. "Yer a High Priestess who specializes in Holy Spells! If ya can't even figger out what's wrong with 'Chiri, then what th' hell d'they teach ya at that Shrine-a yers!?"

"Genrou... "

Shuu snorted. "Ch! Baka. If you didn't spend so much time sobbing about your poor little friend and more time examining him, you'd know exactly what was wrong with him." The younger sister leaned back on Tasuki's bed, making herself comfortable. "Use your head, Nee-san. Someone said an Oath."

"An Oath?" Tasuki raised an eyebrow. "What th' hell is that?"

"One of the Seven Great Oaths. Holy Spells of Strength. Things like that. There's a million names for them," Shuu said it all matter-of-factly, as if people fell victim to them everyday. "Nee-san will have to clarify this, since I'm not as educated as she is in Holy Magic, but it's probably the third one."

Hikaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Entrapment." She touched Chichiri's face lightly. The young woman set her jaw in a line of determination. "There's only one way to find out. Tasuki-san!" the bandit jumped at the surprising note of harshness in her voice. "Come here, please. I need your help."

"With what?" he asked warily, reluctant to lend his aid to either of these unusual women. Even as he said it, though, he was walking over to Hikaru. As much as he distrusted the Asatenshi sisters, he still thought that he'd be willing to sell his soul to them if it would help Chichiri. "Whadda ya need?"

"I need to get a look at Chichiri's face."

"Kao?"

"Hai," she nodded hurriedly, gesturing for him to sit next to her. "A victim of the Third Oath... well, I need a look at his face to tell if that's really what it is. Except, I need to get his mask off to see his face, and his mask is enchanted. I'm going to need help. You have a strong magical aura, plus you're Chichiri's close friend. Between the two of us I think we ought to be able to release the spells that seal it to his features."

"Uh, okay." Tasuki knelt next to Hikaru and tried to avoid looking at his seishi friend. The monk looked too still, too rigid, almost as if... The bandit shook his head. Chichiri was ten minutes unconscious and Tasuki was already envisioning him dead. That was sick. What was wrong with him? "What should I do?"

Hikaru grabbed his hand, an action that made Koji tense just slightly. "Here." She placed his hand, palm down, lightly on the monk's forehead. Her own hand was closed over his. "Just stay like that, and will his mask to come off. I'll take care of the rest."

Shuu sighed. "Oh happiness, Nee-san gets to show of her powers."

Hikaru didn't appear to hear her. Asatenshi's palm glowed green as she closed her eyes and softly recited a spell. "_By the Mother's power, I command your release. Free yourself of the bonds that hold you and come away in my hand. Eternal truth, shine through."___

Tasuki's own crimson strength flared and melded with her emerald light for a moment, then both disappeared. The seishi bandit pinched the corner of the mask in his fingers; it peeled away easily, revealing the monk's scarred, sleeping face. Tasuki placed the material lightly on his nightstand, then turned to check on his friend again. 

Hikaru touched a hand to Chichiri's true face, frowning gently. "Oh, Chichiri..." she pulled back his eyelid a bit, studying his iris. "Yappari [I thought so]..."

"Oi!" Tasuki reached out a hand and grabbed her wrist, amber orbs glaring at her angrily. "What th' hell d'ya think yer doin'!?"

The young woman blushed at the touch, but retained her composure. "Nothing to harm him, I assure you, Tasuki-san. I was looking for proof of the Third Oath." Hikaru pointed with her other hand towards the monk's mahogany eye. "Hora [See]? Don't they look strange? It's because they're all irises; you can't see the pupil anymore. Hora, hora, Tasuki-san?"

Now that she mentioned it, he did see what she meant. Still, he failed to see what that had to do with anything. "Okay, his eye looks weird. What's that supposed t'mean?"

"It means, Ahou," Shuu interjected from her resting spot, putting her hands behind her head, "that someone's used the Oath of Entrapment on him. In short, he's been trapped in a closed universe."

Hikaru could see the question on Tasuki and Koji's lips, so she picked up the narrative. "A closed universe is a world that cannot be breached by human means. It's a place isolated from all other dimensions, sometimes called Kokoro no Sekai - World of the Soul - for in truth it exists solely without that person's heart and mind."

"Okay, now in terms I'll understand...?"

Shuu snorted. "He's stuck in his own dimension and he probably doesn't even know it. Do you get it now, or do I need to make flashcards for you, Ahou?"

Tasuki turned his frustrations on the younger sister. "Urusai, Gaki! I get it, I jus' don't _get_ it!"

Koji understood where his friend was coming from; he intervened before the seishi bandit and Shuu got into a fight. "What exactly are these Oaths, anyway?"

"The Seven Holy Oaths of Strength," Hikaru said quietly, carefully situating the monk into a more comfortable position on his makeshift bed, "are exactly what they say. They are the seven greatest spells known to man; spells that call on the powers of Heaven, Earth, and the Shadow Realm - what you call Hell. I never wished to know their words, never wished to have that sort of tempting power at my fingertips, so I could not tell you anymore about them..."

"Than I will," Shuu interrupted, fixing her emerald eyes on Tasuki. "The Seven Oaths are Time, Power, Entrapment, Possession, Sight, Protection, and Sacrifice. Like Nee-san said, they draw strength from the three corners of the World and from the people that inhabit the space. All of the Oaths are a little different, and a little bit the same. The Oath of Entrapment has to do with dreams and memories. I'm not going to repeat the words - if I did, I'd just invoke the spell, and then someone else would get Trapped - but you get the idea."

"Yeah, yeah, that's great," Tasuki growled. "Now that th' lesson's over, how about you tell me what I really wanna know? Like who could done this!?" The bandit had a thought; he crossed the room, standing over Shuu suspiciously. "Come t'think of it, you an' yer sister seem t'know an awful lot about this stuff..."

The younger Asatenshi sister snorted, but she didn't meet Tasuki's eyes. "Get real, Ahou. Haven't you been listening? The Oaths call on aid from all corners of the Universe. A human can't withstand that kind of strength, not unless they plan on dying within a few minutes."

Tasuki's amber eyes narrowed in distrust. "Yeah, you can _say that all ya want. It's not like Koji 'n' I would know if you were tellin' th' truth or not!"_

"Then don't believe me. What do I care? He's your friend, not mine," Shuu told him harshly. 

She stood swiftly, but Tasuki blocked her way. "I'm gettin' really sick of this, Gaki! Ever since you got here you been actin' like we're all slime, like you own this place! An' now, outta nowhere, Chichiri gets Trapped an' suddenly the only two people who know what's goin' on are you an' yer sister!? It's a little too convenient fer me..."

Shuu's eyes flashed angrily as green power licked at her fingertips. "_Move, Ahou. I don't have time to stand around here and argue about this junk."_

"_Junk!?" Tasuki grabbed her by the collar. "One-a my best friends is stuck in some kind-a closed universe, an' you call __that junk!? Start talkin' about how I c'n save him instead of tryin' t'defend yerself, and __maybe I'll start thinkin' there's actually someone worth trustin' under those cold eyes!"_

"Genrou, take it easy!" Koji grabbed his friend by the arm, trying to pull him away from the Asatenshi sister. "Shuu-san and Hikaru-san have been here for a week! If they wanted t'hurt any of us, they woulda done it from the get-go! Yer overreactin'! Neither of them has done anythin' t'prove what yer sayin' about 'em! So just _calm down, okay!?"_

Tasuki was strong, but Koji was too, plus the tanned bandit had caught him off-balance. The seishi took a step back, releasing Shuu. He whirled towards Koji, clenched a fist at his side as if to hit him, but stopped. Tasuki took a breath, realized what he had almost done - to Shuu, to Koji - and closed his eyes. He gripped his friend's shoulder tightly to steady himself. Relax. Calm down. 

He had to quit lashing out at the first suspect just to ease his own anxiety. But he'd always solved his problems that way, hadn't he? He'd always defeated his pain and worry by turning it into anger and doing something about it. Fighting. But that was why he hadn't been able to save them. Nuriko, Chiriko, Mitsukake, Hotohori. Reirei. Hakurou. You couldn't fight something you couldn't see; couldn't fight what you were too late to prevent. You couldn't fight Fate. Or Death. Or Holy Oaths.

So what could he do now?

"Genrou?"

Shit. He needed to calm down, that's what he _needed _to do. Chichiri was by no means on the verge of death. There had to be a way to help him. Keep going. Move ahead. Live. "Ch," Tasuki said quietly, opening his eyes and grinning at his close friend. "I must be gettin' senile in my old age, na?"

Koji released his grip on the other bandit's arm, returning the smile. "I always knew yer mind would go faster'n mine would: ya already have less of one as it is."

Tasuki shoved his friend playfully, then turned his golden gaze towards Hikaru. "Okay. So what's next?"

The older Asatenshi sister watched the seishi bandit carefully, a look of obvious hurt in her eyes. "Tasuki-san... do you really distrust Shuu-san and I that much?"

"Well..." He couldn't lie to her. He had always been a terrible liar. "I can't say that I _trust either of ya... ya jus' showed up here, an' all, an' now with all this stuff happenin'... Gomen, Hikaru-san, but th' two of ya are always so secretive. Yer always hidin' somethin'. I can't trust someone like that. Especially after this."_

"Wakatta [I understand]," she said quietly. Hikaru turned her emerald orbs downward. "I suppose I can't blame you: Chichiri said the same thing to me, earlier today, about my secretive nature - Mother preserve us, Chichiri, just this morning you were..." the older Asatenshi closed her eyes, pausing to get a grip on her emotions. "What I'm trying to say is, I'll understand if you want to keep us under guard, or lock us up or something. I can't say it doesn't hurt me, to have you think that... but I understand it.

"However, I do have one request. Please, Tasuki-san, if nothing else, allow me to help him." Hikaru clenched a fist against her dress tightly; she stood from Chichiri's side, meeting Tasuki's eyes squarely. "I know a spell. It doesn't guarantee success, and I'd need to do it often for at least a week before it began to take effect. It's a summoning spell, of sorts. The only tool I know of that can fight Entrapment. If Chichiri hears it... if Chichiri doesn't ignore our calls... then it might be able to bring him back.

"But, in order for me to do that, I must have your permission. Please, Tasuki-san, don't deny me the chance to gain your trust and help Chichiri." She turned her eyes downward again, fighting to hold back tears. "Please."

Shuu snorted. Neither of the bandits seemed to hear her.

Koji struggled between defending Hikaru and standing by his friend. Loyalty was very quickly losing the battle, something he was both ashamed and happy about. The dark-haired man shot Tasuki a look, almost as if to say: _"Can't you have any delicacy?"_ a question he had been asking his friend since they were kids. Koji turned to Asatenshi, trying to figure out a way he could comfort her without turning his back on his bandit companion's wishes. "Oi, Hikaru-san..."

"Do it. If it'll help Chichiri, then do it." Tasuki's voice was barely above a whisper, but he said his words with decisiveness. "I don't like seein' girls cry. Besides, Chichiri's life is th' one on the line, not mine. An' he trusted you. So do what ya gotta do."

Hikaru's eyes lit up in disbelief and joy. She bowed quickly to the bandit. "Arigatou, Tasuki-san!" The young woman knelt next to Chichiri again; she muttered a short chant under her breath, then looked up with a smile on her face. "I've initiated the spell. There's nothing more I can really do tonight, but tomorrow evening I should be able to begin work on it again. Is there somewhere you would like me to stay for the night? A cell, or with one of the other bandits, perhaps?"

"Ferget it," Tasuki grumbled reluctantly. She was helping Chichiri. This was for Chichiri. Besides, Chichiri and Koji had said she cared about him. Traitors didn't develop feelings for their enemies. "Reikaku ain't never run a prision b'fore, an' I sure as hell ain't about t'start one. Go t'yer room. Get t'sleep. It's been a hard day."

Hikaru stood, bowed once more, then gestured to her sister. "Shuu-chan, your room is next to mine: shall we walk together?"

The younger Asatenshi sister hadn't moved since Tasuki's near-attack; she continued to stay where she was, glaring daggers at the pair of bandits.

Tasuki turned around, facing the younger sister. She had one hand on her neck, where his fingers had barely come in contact with her skin. She glared at him angrily. The bandit rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, putting an apologetic hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry I grabbed ya like that... it's jus', with Chichiri th' way he is, I guess I lost it a little. He's the only seishi left b'sides me, so I get worried about him easily-" 

Shuu brushed the bandit's hand off her shoulder, then brought up her own palm and slapped Tasuki hard across the face. She stared up at him with the sharpest, most bitter emerald eyes he had ever seen. "Don't touch me," she growled under her breath. "Stay away from me. Both of you. All of you. You're disgusting." 

Shuu turned sharply on her heel and marched toward the door. At the last second she turned around, iron stare never leaving Tasuki's eyes. "Your friend isn't going to hear the calls. He isn't going to want to. That's the point of closed universes: to keep people in by choice, not force. There's nothing you can do about it. Nee-san is optimistic. Nee-san is a fool. All of you are." And then she was gone in a flurry of pale orange skirts.

"Shuu-chan..." Hikaru's lower lip trembled slightly; this was just too much for one evening. She started to go after her sister, but Tasuki caught her sharply by the arm.

"Hikaru-san." She whirled, coming almost nose-to-nose with him and blushing violently. Tasuki didn't seem to notice the closeness. "What happens... what happens if we can't call him back?"

Asatenshi looked down. "How much food can you force into someone in a coma? Enough to help them live a few months, at best? Maybe a little more..." She looked up, tears in her mysterious eyes. "He'll die, Tasuki-san. I apologize for my sister. I'm really very sorry..." Hikaru broke his hold, turning quickly and disappearing the way her sibling had gone.

Koji put a hand on his companions' shoulder, eyes on the doorway. He had meant to comfort Tasuki, but somehow found most of his sympathy directed at Hikaru. The bandit turned his attention toward his companion, trying not to think so much about the intriguing young woman. "Daijoubu, Genrou. I'm sure Chichiri'll be okay. Why doncha get some sleep, na? Things'll look better in th' mornin'." Koji, thoughts still mostly centered on Hikaru, brushed past Tasuki and out the door with a quick "Oyasumi," leaving his troubled companion alone.

Tasuki barely heard his friend. His amber orbs quivered with barely held-back fear. He grappled fiercely with his nightstand, gripping the wood for support.

Not going to come back...?

Die...?

Nothing he could do...?

The bandit clenched his fists tightly at his sides. _No._ Not Chichiri. Not again. _Never_ again. Chichiri would come back. Tasuki would find a way to make him come back. He wouldn't let it happen again. He _couldn't_ let it happen again. Otherwise...

No. Stop. Don't think about that. _Ever._ It was wrong. He was tougher than that. A lot tougher than that. Too strong to let those thoughts bother him; to strong to even think those things. Wasn't he? _Wasn't he?_

Of course he was... Of course he was. 

Keep going. Move ahead. Live.

The bandit turned his golden eyes back in Chichiri's direction. He sighed unhappily, inwardly struggling with his own questions, his own damned doubts. "Happy New Year, 'Chiri," Tasuki whispered grimly to the chill evening air. 

***

A young, blue-haired girl, roughly ten years old, tugged on her mother's dress. "Okaa-san, can I do it now? Huh, can I, please?" Her brown eyes sparkled with hope and mischief. "He'll be late _again_ if I don't! Please?" 

The older woman looked down, a gentle smile on her face. "Kyoui-chan, your brother's been studying hard for the exams. He needs his sleep. Let him be for now." 

A boy around the age of fifteen sat at the kitchen table. He snorted at his mother's words. "Sou, sou, Nii-san's been working his butt off lately, sneaking out at night to meet up with that girlfriend of his..." 

His mother reached across the table and smacked her son on the head with a dish towel. "Hush, Mitsuru. Late night outings or not, his grades are still top-notch. Maybe if you spent more time with your 'girlfriend,' your marks would be up there as well." Mitsuru scowled; Kyoui giggled. The older woman, Yukari by name, glanced out her window at the sun, which was just peeking its head over the trees. "Oh, dear... it looks like he really will be late again..." 

Kyoui looked up, tugging once more on her mother's skirts. "Can I get him, then? Ne, ne?" 

"Hm..." she looked down, smiling at her daughter. "All right, get him up. But hurry, please." 

"Hai!" Kyoui turned on her slippered feet, grabbing her skirts in her hands and dashing out of the kitchen.

"Kyoui-chan, try to act a little more like a young woman, would you...?" the girl had not heard; she was already gone. Yukari shook her head, chuckling slightly. "Dear, dear, she's a sparkplug, all right. Just like her father..." 

Kyoui raced imaginary opponents through the house and to the room of her eldest brother. She slid open the door with a loud crash, then leaped the distance between the doorway and the bed, landing hard on her brother's stomach. "Rise and shine lazy bum, or you'll be late again!"

"Daa!" her older sibling's mahogany orbs snapped open in surprise. He sat up with a start, gasping for air. He looked at her with a mixture of surprise and sleepy confusion in his eyes. "Kyo... chan...?" 

She grinned sweetly, flashing a victory sign. "O-ha-you... Hou-jun!" 

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: July 31, 2003; 12:25 P.M._

Hao, minna-san!  
Aww, c'mon, you didn't really think Chichiri was dead, did you? You oughta know by now that I just like to scare ya a little. *Grin* Besides, I'd never kill my favorite characters... this early in a story, that is. *Evil chuckles ensue*  
For those of you who actually read this, sorry this chapter took so long to post. I was going through a period of serious writer's block, and was seriously considering pulling RFS from fanfiction.net (a thought I'm still playing with...). Anyway, my buddy Val-chan's helpful comments, reviews and encouragements, along with a happy surprise review from Roku-senpai (Roku Kyu to the rest of you) and Kourin Lucrece-san, helped pull me out of my slump. Thanks you three, your words have brought me back to my writing senses. *Smile*

**Random Chapter Comments** Kind of a transition chapter, if you will. A lot of magical stuff that I invented, some explanations, and plenty of rising suspicions on the Asatenshi sisters. See, Tasuki isn't too dense - he figured out that it was one of the sisters pretty quick, ne? And speaking of Tasuki, I had some fun diving into his psyche in this chapter. As you can see, this is not the Tasuki of FY:NC - this is an older, more indecisive Tasuki who I've never really seen before but always thought lurked there, under that arrogant front. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my somewhat unusual portrayal of the bandit's mind! *Bows* All remarks, be they good or bad, will be much appreciated. And who is this Mother? What does she want with Chichiri? And where exactly _has_ the monk gone? *Blinks as silence reigns* Oh, you expected me to answer those?

_Question of the Week:_ How did Hotohori get all of his hair to fit in that little box-hat thing?

**Verse Preview?** A "pleasure world," a budding friendship (and perhaps a sparking rivalry?), and a few new, but certainly not original, characters. Guess that's it for this session! Hope to see you next time (whenever that may be)!

Surprisingly Perky Today,  
Dee ~_^ 


	8. Verse Six: Living in the Pleasure World

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

_Author's Notes: As far as Houjun's family is concerned, I've heard several conflicting things about them so I may not be completely accurate. I've seen two translations of Shouryuu Den, one that said he had a younger sister and no brothers, and one that said he had a sister and brother. Well, I asked a friend (thanks, B-chan!) who owned the novel to do a kanji-check on Houjun's family, and unless she read it wrong he has two youngers siblings: a brother and sister. So, that's what I'm going with! Any complaints may be taken up with my lawyer; and seeing as how I don't have a lawyer, you could be in for a long wait.  
Also, to the best of my knowledge Ancient China didn't have any real means of telling time, which is why people are typically glancing at the sun to get an idea about the time. If they did have clocks, could someone please tell me and I'll go back and change that? Much obliged._

Translation Note: And oh yeah, if anyone cares, the invented name of Houjun's village (Kyokujitsu) means "Rising Sun." I have no real reason for the name; I just think it sounds good. 

**

Verse Six: Living in the Pleasure World

**

"Please come back to me,   
Following memories  
To the source of gentleness and dreams.  
In order to be born,  
And shine to the stars once again...  
Soul's refrain"  
~Hayashibara Megumi; "Tamashii no Refuran (Remix)" (Soul's Refrain)~

"O-ha-you... Houjun!" Kyoui smiled sweetly at her brother, waiting for him to return the greeting. After a long moment of silence, the young girl opened her eyes and frowned slightly. "Eh? No 'Ohayou Kyo-chan?' How late did you stay up last night?"

Her older brother blinked his eyes sleepily. He looked at her, smiling a little. "Gomen, Kyo-chan. I was just thinking about this strange dream I had..." he paused thoughtfully, a small half-frown on his face, then shrugged. "Huh, I can't seem to remember it anymore. Oh well. What time is it?"

"Too early," she replied easily, hopping off her brother's stomach and allowing him to get out of bed. "But it'll be too late for you if you don't hurry up! This'll be your third straight tardy for class, won't it? You get punished after three, you know!"

"Wakatta, wakatta," Houjun said distractedly. He sifted through his clothing chest, pulling out a couple of robes. "Oi, Kyo-chan? Red or green?"

"Blue!" she said sweetly.

He sweatdropped. "I had to ask..." the teenager stuffed the green one back into the chest, then hurriedly threw his nightshirt off and tossed it over Kyoui's head. "No looking!"

She giggled, fighting for a moment with the cloth before poking her head out. She watched as he struggled into a pair of pants, slipped into the red robe, tied a strip of cloth hastily around his waist, battled for a moment with his messy bangs, combed his hair back into a ponytail and crammed his feet into his slippers. Kyoui followed her brother out of his room, skipping along behind to keep pace as he practically sprinted into the kitchen.

Houjun's mother Yukari and his younger brother Mitsuru looked up when he came in. "Ohayou, Houjun/Nii-san!"

"Ohayou, Mitsuru, Okaa-san," he returned cheerfully, sitting down at the table. He grinned teasingly at his mother. "So, what did you make for breakfast today, Okaa-san?" A rice cake flew over Yukari's shoulder and hit the young man in the face. "Ow! Rice cakes again?"

"Maybe if you got up a little earlier you'd have time to make yourself some real food," Yukari remarked. Her tone was severe, but Houjun could sense the smile on her face. "I'm starting to think these late-night cram sessions are doing more harm than good."

Mitsuru snickered. "Especially when most of his time is spent studying the opposite sex instead of school subjects. I'm sure glad we don't share a room anymore, or I don't know how I'd ever get to sleep."

Houjun's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Kyo-chan, could you please...?"

"Haaaai!" the girl grinned and popped Mitsuru over the head with her fist.

"Arigatou, Kyo-chan."

Mitsuru scowled; Kyoui giggled; Yukari tried to look severe and failed miserably. Houjun just smiled and went back to his small breakfast. It was a typical morning in the Ri household.

Houjun finished his meal quickly. He glanced out the window and winced at the height of the sun. "Daa... I really _am _going to be late if I don't hurry. Hikou and Kouran might not even wait for me."

The teenager gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, hugged his sister and ruffled his brother's hair; then grabbed his satchel of supplies and raced out the door. "Itekimasu [I'm leaving]!"

Houjun had to pace himself at a fast jog in order to keep his bag from banging too hard against his back. He kept his speed as best as he could, slowing down a little when he came in sight of his closest friend. The other young man was looking his direction; as soon as he saw Houjun, he put on a mock frown and started to head towards the school.

The teenager waved his arms to catch his companion's attention. "Hikou! Matte yo [Wait up]! Matte yo, Hikou!"

Hikou turned around, tapping his foot against the ground and feigning impatience. "Well then hurry up, Houjun, or you'll make me late again!"

"Gomen! Matte kuda-" Houjun's foot caught at a ditch in the ground; he stumbled, lost his balance, and went tumbling head over heels with a surprised: "Daaa!" 

Hikou sweatdropped as his friend came to a dusty stop at his feet. "Oi. Houjun." The dark-haired man poked his friend with his foot. "Daijoubu ka?"

"Daijoubu..."

He sighed. "Clumsy. C'mon, get up; I'm not waiting here forever. If we don't get going Kouran's going to be stuck waiting for _both _of us, and then we'll all be in for one of Ryuchi-sensei's punishments."

Houjun stood, grimacing as he did. Ryuchi-sensei, the Headmaster of the village's secondary school, was known for thinking up extreme chores for small offenses; with his unpredictability, it was likely that they'd be forced to clean the entire building with a scrap of cloth and a drop of soap. Hikou seemed to be reading his friend's mind; he chuckled and imitated the Headmaster's grouchy voice. "I want to be able to see my face in those desks, Ri! What's this!? You missed a spot! That's thirty lashings, Ri!"

Houjun laughed along with his friend; Hikou had a talent for impersonating the voices of just about anyone in the village, a skill that had a tendency to get both of them into trouble.

Looking down the main street of his hometown, Houjun had to wonder if you could really call it a village. With its two hundred-odd residents it seemed too large to have such a small name. Though, on the other side of things, it was nowhere near as large as a city. Nothing like the capital: a place he, Kouran and Hikou all dreamed of visiting after they finished school - Houjun for college, Kouran for pleasure, and Hikou for business opportunities. Speaking of Kouran...

"Houjun! Hikou!" 

The young woman, long-time friend and recent love interest of Houjun, was awaiting the pair of friends at the end of the block. Her lavender hair fluttered slightly in the autumn breeze, and her gentle chocolate-colored eyes glittered with an inner spark of mischief. Her dress was simple and plain, typical of a middle-class family's wages, but it complimented her figure and the pale blue brought out her eyes. Houjun thought she looked perfect.

But then again, when had he ever thought she _didn't _look beautiful?

Kouran had one hand up, gesturing for her two companions to hurry. "Hayaku kudasai [Please hurry]! Otoo-san will kill me if I'm late again!"

Hikou and Houjun obeyed her request, speeding up to a jog and then slowing back down to a fast walk when they reached her. "Ohayou, Kouran!" they both said pleasantly.

"Ohayou," she replied with a small smile. The young woman fell into step with her friends, Houjun on her right and Hikou next to him. 

Glancing at his two closest companions, one on either side, Houjun couldn't help but smile. They were truly an unlikely trio, probably the strangest matching the village had seen in ages. Kouran and Houjun's families had been friends for a long time, so it was only natural that the two of them should be so close, but Hikou had been an unexpected wild card, a "happy accident." 

Houjun's taller and slightly older friend had lived in the country on a small farm during his younger years; through Fate and luck, the farm had been sold when he was just beginning school, and his family moved closer to town to try and scrap together a living on a small plot of land. Hikou had been motherless most of his life; his family had consisted of his father and older sister. Houjun didn't like to think about Hikou's father. Though he had never personally met the man, he knew enough about him and the bruises his friend had sported for several years to have a good enough reason to despise him.

Not that it mattered anymore. Hikou's father had been dead for nearly five years, and he currently lived quite pleasantly with his sister and her husband in a somewhat run-down home near the village's borders. He was gone from school at least once a week - usually to help tend the small plot of land his brother-in-law owned or help out down at the market - and was always busy on the weekends for the same reasons. Hikou had spent most of his life in poverty, and was bound and determined to keep himself from spending the rest of his life in the same condition. He was a lover of all things that produced cash, and a renowned haggler and businessman.

_'A lover of money...' Houjun frowned slightly. That description made him think of someone else, someone he felt that he had known before. But who...?_

Kouran's teasing voice interrupted his thoughts. "So, what's the excuse for taking so long today, hm?" 

Hikou put his hands behind his head. "Someone slept in again. Big surprise, ne?"

The image of a young, teal-haired man that had just been coming into focus vanished in a puff of smoke, along with the feeling that he was forgetting something important. Houjun jumped into the conversation, trying to justify his actions. "It's your fault for keeping me up all night, asking all those questions about the exams."

"I was gone before midnight, baka. What'd you and Kouran do after I was gone, that's what I wanna know."

Houjun waved his chibi arms wildly while Kouran blushed. "_Nothing_! Yeesh, what do you and my brother think I _do _when I'm alone with women!?"

"What any normal man would do if he were by himself with such a fine catch as Kouran here," his friend explained matter-of-factly, elbowing Houjun in the ribs.

Kouran came to her love's defense. "Thanks for the compliment - er, I think - but your perception of our relationship is a little skewed."

"Oh, is it?" Hikou put a protective arm around Houjun's shoulder, looking accusingly at his female friend. "Then what, Kouran, _is _your relationship to my best friend, hm? I don't wanna find out you've been setting him up for heartbreak."

"Sa..." she looked down, fiddling with her bag of schoolbooks. "I'm not completely sure... I suppose we're more than friends..."

Houjun's companion snorted. "Everyone in the village has known that for a month now, and I've known it since we were fifteen. That's not good enough."

"Hikou, this is embarassing..."

"I'm not gonna drop it 'till I hear a real answer!"

"I don't know how to answer that, though!"

"Okay, then just tell me how many times you've gone the distance and I'll figure out your relationship for myself."

"Huh?" Kouran looked at him in confusion. "'Gone the distance'?"

"Yeah, you know. Traveled around the block, swam the length of the pond, climbed to the top of the mountain, eaten the whole, ah-hem, peach." She and Houjun continued to look at him blankly. "Ch, don't you spend any time listening to street market slang?"

Kouran grinned crookedly. "How many times have I even _been _to the market...?"

"Tch, tch." Hikou shook his head sadly. "You poor, sheltered kids. I guess I'll have to spell it out for you, then." He smiled patronizingly at his friends. "You know that talk your parents had with you when you were younger, right?" Two nods. "You know what that is, and how it's done, right?"

"Hikou, just because I don't know slang doesn't mean I'm an idiot," Houjun reminded him with a chuckle.

"Don't interrupt your elders, Ri!" Hikou snapped, grabbing his friend in a headlock and switching into his Headmaster Ryuchi dialect.

"You're only older by two months! Now let go of me!"

"I wanna hear some praise for your great, genius friend Hikou!"

"Genius my a-!" the older man's hold tightened slightly. "Ack! Okay, okay! I give up!" Houjun raised his voice an octave, something that never failed to amuse his friends. "Hikou-sama, you're truly much greater than I could ever hope to be! All-Knowing Master of the Marketplace and the Ever-Important Okane [money]! Please release your unworthy servant before he's strangled no daaaaa!"

Hikou let go, grinning broadly at his companion. "Now, can I finish?" Houjun nodded quickly, holding his neck as he did and crying chibi tears. "What I was _trying to ask was how many times the two of you have... er..." he rubbed the back of his head. "Gomen, Kouran, Nee-san says I shouldn't talk about this in front of girls, but... how many times have the two of you, y'know, had sex?"_

"_Nani!?" Houjun and Kouran looked up, full-fledged shock in their eyes. "_Never_!"_

"Never?" the merchant-to-be snorted. "No way. C'mon, I'm your best friend. I deserve the truth."

"We _are telling the truth!" his female companion insisted, blushing brightly. "Houjun and I only just started going together; you know that as well as anyone else does!"_

Hikou raised an eyebrow. "Hontou?" Two frantic nods. He looked away, shaking his head sadly. "Ch! At this rate, the two of you will be married and still be virgins. That's just sad."

"What, you mean to tell me you've... ano, 'swam the length of the pond'?" Houjun demanded, trying very hard to erase the red from his cheeks.

By now, the three of them were within sight of the old building that was used for secondary education. Hikou stopped and turned to look at his friends, flashing a chibi grin. "Well, after a long day of working a stand in the market, you've gotta find some way to relax. And there happens to be a brothel right down the street..." Noticing Houjun and Kouran's surprised and disturbed looks, he waved a hand and laughed. "Joudan yo [I'm joking]! C'mon, those places are only for dirty old men and street punks, not a hard-working, honest guy like me. Man, just 'cause I'm poor as dirt doesn't mean I'm like that. You two really need to loosen up." 

Houjun breathed a sigh of relief. "Yokatta. I didn't think you were, but you sounded so serious that for a second there I couldn't help but wonder..."

Hikou's usual, devilish smile crept onto his lips again; he clapped a hand on his shorter friend's shoulder. "Oi, don't worry so much Houjun! If I ever do decide to try one of those places out, I'll be sure to bring you along! You'll need practice so you won't disappoint Kouran, ne?"

Kouran covered a giggle as a chibi Houjun went after his companion, swinging his arms wildly. "I'm going to kill you for that one, Hikou!"

The older of the two put his hand on his friend's head, keeping him at arm's distance as his chibi fists flew. Hikou sweatdropped at his efforts. "Joudan, joudan. You know you'd never be able to beat me up, so stop trying. You're just going to hurt yourself."

Houjun stopped after a moment, panting unhappily and glowering at his male companion. "One of these days..."

"I know," Hikou said with a teasing grin. He ruffled his shorter companion's blue hair, chuckling as he walked past him. "You just keep dreaming, little guy."

"Sukoshi ja nai yo [I'm not little]!"

"Hai, hai..."

Kouran giggled behind her friends' backs, following them into the school. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, turning her eyes towards the honey-yellow sun. "It looks like another perfect day in Kyokujitsu Village..." She lowered her voice, frowning a little. "It's been a while... since I've felt this alive."

"Kouran! Come on!" Houjun's call snapped her out of her reverie and she turned, seeing that he was gesturing for her to get inside the building. Hikou had already disappeared, but her childhood friend was still waiting for her. "You don't want to face Ryuchi-sensei's wrath, do you?"

"Gomen, gomen!" Kouran hurried up the path to the main gates, walking past Houjun and flashing him a gentle smile. "Thanks for waiting, Houjun."

"No problem." 

He slipped an arm tentatively around her waist; she automatically relaxed in the comforting hold, smiling at her love and leaning her head lightly against his shoulder. That was her way of telling him she enjoyed his touch. He was always so careful about boundaries, sometimes it drove her crazy, but it was also a quality that set him apart from a lot of the other sex-crazed guys. It was one of the many reasons why she loved him as much as she did.

_'Houjun... I've missed you so much.' She thought sadly, closing her eyes and allowing him to lead her down the hall to their class. __'She handed us a miracle, allowing us to relive these days again. And this time... this time, I'll do everything the right way. I promise.' _

***

Genji was extremely pleased with himself that morning. Not only had he successfully managed to create strawberry rice cakes, but he had also invented a syrup made out of tree sap that, when heated, tasted magnificently on his rice concoction. The young man cupped his hands together happily and cried tears of joy. "Gen-sama... Koji-sama... I have finally created a breakfast worthy enough to grace your plates!" He hopped around the kitchen, giggling happily. "Aaaaaaah this will certainly make up for those cursed rockets last night and they'll be given all sorts of good luck in the form of good food te kanjiiiiii!"

The overenthusiastic bandit stirred the tree sap sauce quickly, sprinkling a dash of seasoning into it and fantasizing about the praise he was certain to get from his two bandit heroes. He tasted the syrup, grinned happily, then poured the mixture over the rice cakes and literally pranced out of the kitchen, bouncing toward the table the bandit leaders shared. "Gen-samaaaaa, Koji-samaaaaaaa! Breakfast is-" 

Genji stopped halfway through his call, mouth dropping open as he saw the occupants of the table. Shuu and Hikaru sat in their usual spots, Ken and Ryo had joined them as well, and Koji was where he belonged, but the monk and bandit leader were nowhere to be found. "Eh? Doko... Where's Gen-sama?"

Koji shrugged, taking the tray the young bandit offered him and passing the plates out to his companions. "Ya got me. Maybe he slept in a little late."

Genji sweatdropped; due to the parties the night before, breakfast had been held off for several hours. "But it's almost noon, te kanjii..."

"Last night was tough fer him, what with Chichiri gettin' Trapped an' all. I'm sure he'll join us when he's ready," Koji explained, looking at the bowl of syrup curiously. "Don't worry, he'll be all right, Genji-kun."

Genji's lower lip quivered. "But... my perfect breakfast..." 

Ryo looked at the sticky liquid in confusion. "Is this a sauce or a drink? It smells like a tree..."

"Wha!?" The young cook waved his arms in anger. "It's _syrup_, and it's made from _tree sap_! Anyone who knows anything about food would-!" He stopped once more, as he noticed a figure grumbling and stumbling to the table. "Ah! Gen-sama's up!" He smiled broadly, crooning quietly to himself. "Now he and Koji-sama can enjoy my wonderful meal together, te kanjii!"

Tasuki took a tired seat next to Koji, head drooping over the table. Koji poked his friend in the shoulder with his chopsticks, concern in his eyes. "O-oi, Genrou..." He raised his face, meeting his companion's hazel orbs with his own chibi, bloodshot gold ones. It would have been humourous had it not been so disturbing. "G... Genrou...!?"

The bandit leader rubbed sleepily at his eyes, letting his head droop again. "Kuso, I hardly got any sleep last night. What with th' boys partyin', an' Chichiri layin' on my floor not even snorin' at me..." he trailed off, falling forward until his head hit the table. A chibi Tasuki jerked up, waving his little fists wildly. "Huh!? What!? I'm up, I'm up!"

Koji shook his head sadly, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Genrou, go back t'bed. You need t'get some sleep."

"I can't... 'Chiri..."

"Listen, if bein' in the same room with Chichiri is botherin' ya, then ya c'n use my bed, all right?"

Tasuki yawned, putting his tired head in his equally tired hands. "But what if somethin' happens 'n' the gang needs me?"

"I'll take care of it. C'mon. Yer so beat you c'n barely keep yer head up." Koji sweatdropped as Tasuki's orange-haired skull dropped to the table again. "Come t'think of it, ya can't even do that." He grinned at his friend, grabbing his arm and dragging him up from the table. "Here, I'll help ya get there, otherwise you'll pass out an' wind up whackin' yer head on th' table or somethin'. Then we'd have two comatose patients."

"Hm... Arigatou... Koji..."

"Yeah, yeah. Geez, where th' hell would ya be without me?"

"Shut up... ahou..."

Ken sighed as the two bandits walked off. "Just like they say: Behind every leader is the person who kept them from falling flat on their face. Only in this case, it happens to be a literal statement."

"Don't be so hard on Tasuki-san. He's only tired because he was worried about his friend, and he's only awake right now because he's worried for the stronghold." Hikaru snapped, tone unusually fierce and protective. She stood from the table, food untouched. "I'm not particularly hungry. I think I'll go check on Chichiri. Shuu-chan, would you like to join me?"

Shuu pushed her chair out as well, standing with her sister and popping her back. "Taking care of that monk is your job, not mine. Do whatever you want. I'm going back to my room to get some rest."

In a moment, the bandits and women had disappeared down the hall, leaving a whimpering Genji and four plates of food. "B-but... minna..."

"Hm?" Ken poked at his food with his chopsticks, then looked up at the young cook. "Oi, Genji-kun, what'd you do to this? The rice cakes are all red."

Genji burst into tears. 

***

It was in the eleventh hour of the morning - during history - when the first attack occurred.

Houjun was sitting in between Kouran and Hikou, trying to pretend that he was listening to Wei-sensei and failing miserably. Wei-sensei was a boring old maid who liked to rattle on in her boring old voice about boring old artifacts and boring old legends. The joke around class was that Wei-sensei had known the ancient leaders and cities personally, and that the gods had played a mean trick by forcing her to teach about them for an eternity. As far as Houjun was concerned, the gods' trick had been a lot harder for the students than for the teacher.

When such moments like these occurred, Houjun-tachi typically turned to their creative minds to keep themselves entertained. That was exactly what they had done that day; almost as soon as class had started, Hikou had pulled out a piece of scrap parchment and started working his pen across the paper (Wei thought they were taking notes, senile thing that she was). After a moment he passed the paper to Houjun, who had a hard time stifling his laughter. On the paper was the outline of an old woman; at the top was the heading "Wei-sensei: Finish and Pass On."

Houjun chuckled quietly into his sleeve, glad that Wei was so deaf she couldn't hear him. This was an old game the three of them had started late in gradeschool, but it was nonetheless a favorite that never got tiring. The idea was for each of them to add a comical feature to the teacher of choice, until they had completed their "artwork" or the class ended. Hikou's additions were always the funniest, though Kouran's were the most well-done, and Houjun's were probably the cleverest. And whoever was chosen, the trio of minds usually created a comical masterpiece, certainly worthy of being saved (in fact, Hikou kept a collection of the doodles in one of his books; they would often pull them out when they needed a good laugh).

Houjun grinned, then dipped his pen into a jar of ink and got started. He glanced up at Wei, looking for something to add to the outline... that was it! Houjun quickly scribbled in the woman's wiry, grey hair, which she wore in a very strange style, all bunched up at the top of her head. He made the pile look about a mile high, then doodled a little bird's nest in the top and passed it to Kouran.

His female friend glanced over at him, giggling quietly, then set to work on adding another detail. Houjun sat back in his chair, waiting for the picture to get back to him. As it was, he happened to catch a few of Wei's monotone words as she droned on about a popular Konan legend.

"... It is said that when the Priestess arrives from another universe, she will gather the seven stars and grant peace upon the land. And, as I'm sure you all know, the Suzaku seishi have the following names: Tamahome, Hotohori, Tasuki, Mitsukake, Chichiri..."

Searing needles shot through Houjun's left eye. He closed both of his brown orbs tightly, putting a hand to his face and letting out a muffled grunt of alarm. The pain grew quickly stronger, becoming one long lance of hurt through the left side of his face. As it rose to an agonizing shriek, images sprang unbidden to his mind, visions of people he had never seen before, places he had never been before... and yet... 

**_FLASH!_**

_"Welcome back na no da!"_

_A brunette in odd clothing greeted him with a smile. "Oh, Chichiri!"_

_An orange-haired man pointed wildly in his direction. "What is THAT!?"_

_"That's Chichiri, another Suzaku seishi," a purple-headed woman - or was it a man? - said with a grin._

**_FLASH!_**

_"Oh, Hotohori, we found another warrior. This is Chichiri." The girl in strange clothing introduced, gesturing in his direction._

_"D... daa!" he responded nervously, lifting a hand to wave at the well-dressed man._

**_FLASH!_**

_The same orange-haired man, now several years older, looked up at him from the ground, giving a fanged grin. "Oi, Chichiri, 'bout time you showed up."_

_"I missed you too no da."_

**_FLASH!_**__

_"Chichiri!"_

_"Chichiri?"_

_"Chichiri..."_

"_HOUJUN!" Kouran's terrified cry cut through his visions like a knife, but did little to staunch them or the crimson agony that tortured his mahogany orb. _

"Houjun?" That was Hikou, sounding scared, concerned.

"Eh? What in the world is wrong with Ri-san?" Wei-sensei. Puzzled. Nervous.

Someone's hand on his arm. Was it Hikaru? Who was Hikaru? No, no, it was just Kouran. Her soft voice, tremoring with fear, trying to reach him, steady him, bring him back to earth. "Houjun, Houjun hang on. Whatever happened, please hang on."

The words barely reached him. Hang on? How could he?

His eye was on fire.

And those people...

He must be dying.

Who were they...?

He had to stop the pain.

Stop it.

Stop it.

Stop... 

***

"Oi, Hikaru-san."

The young woman looked up from where she was kneeling next to Chichiri. She wiped a hand across her lightly perspiring forehead, then smiled pleasantly at her visitor. "Konban wa Tasuki-san. You're looking better. Did you have a nice rest?"

"Oryaa [Hell yeah], Koji's gotta have th' best bed in th' stronghold," he agreed, setting down the tray he had been balancing on his arm. "Here. I figgered ya might be hungry, so I brought ya some dinner. Mine's on there too, so don't take it all."

Hikaru reached over, picking up one of the warm bowls and a pair of chopsticks. "Arigatou, Tasuki-san." She smiled gratefully in his direction. "It's funny, how thoughtful you can be sometimes."

Tasuki shrugged, looking away and grumbling an excuse to hide his embarassment. "Koji woulda done it, but he ain't in th' stronghold. Somethin' t'do with that rival gang that's been givin' us hell. So, I volunteered."

"Still, it was a nice thing to do." Hikaru took a bite of the rice and shrimp mixture, smiling. "Mm! Oishii! Genji-kun outdid himself again! I didn't realize how hungry I was, but now..."

Tasuki watched with a small sweatdrop as the Asatenshi woman dove into her food with a will, demolishing the meal in seconds - with surprisingly good table manners, to boot. "Ya know, it ain't gonna run away if ya eat it slow..."

Hikaru looked up, giggling a little. "Oh! I was going pretty fast, wasn't I?" she wiped off the corner of her mouth with a napkin, taking a sip of tea. "I'm in a hurry to finish this off so I can get Chichiri his dinner." She gestured to a thick-looking, steaming bowl of broth near the monk's head. "I was just getting to that when you came in, you see. I apologize for my eating habits."

The seishi shrugged. "I live with a buncha bandits. Yer eatin' habits don't bother me one bit." He leaned back in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Tasuki bit his lip, wondering how he could say this. He was never very good at saying meaningful things. "Listen, Hikaru-san... I jus' wanted ya t'know that I appreciate what yer doin' fer 'Chiri. I was kind of a bastard last night, accusin' ya like that... anyway, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's all right, Tasuki-san," she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "As I said before, I understand your distrust. After all, the two of us are strangers here, so it's only natural that you'd think us to be the culprits." Hikaru looked up at him hopefully, a small blush on her cheeks. "My only wish is that you will learn to trust me, and Shuu-chan."

Tasuki snorted. "I'm gettin' there with you. But as fer yer Gaki sister... It ain't jus' that she's rude, but she's studied that Holy Magic too an' she ain't done a thing t'help with Chichiri. Little ingrate..."

"Not at all, Tasuki-san!" He looked at her, one eyebrow raised in a silent question. "Shuu-chan's healing magic isn't as advanced as mine, that's why she isn't helping with this. But she's doing plenty of other things, I assure you. In fact," Hikaru held up the bowl of broth, "Shuu-chan made this without my even asking her!"

"She did?"

"Mm!" Asatenshi nodded, lifting up the monk's limp head and doing her best to force some of the liquid between his lips. "Shuu-chan's really a very helpful person, she just has her own ways of showing it... come on, Chichiri, you won't last long if you won't at least take _a little_ of this..."

Tasuki sat up again, putting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "... Is there anythin' I c'n do t'help?"

"Not really, I've dealt with comatose patients before..."

He shook his head. "Not in this. Not necessarily. I just mean, with anything. There's gotta be somethin' I c'n do t'help reach Chichiri, t'help snap him outta this spell." Tasuki clenched a fist, unable to stop the concern for his friend from showing in his voice. "_Somethin'_..."

Hikaru frowned thoughtfully, still focused on her task. "Hm... well... you might try talking to him."

"Talkin' to him? About what?"

"Anything, I suppose. The two of you have been friends for a while, deshou? Tasuki-san's voice might be able to reach Chichiri, help call him back." Hikaru shrugged, setting the bowl down; it was only about a quarter empty, but she didn't think she could force anymore down the monk's unresponsive throat. "I've never heard of anyone doing that before, but you never know."

Tasuki looked at his seishi companion, frowning slightly. "It's worth a try, anyway..." He felt someone's eyes on him. The bandit looked up, surprised to find Hikaru watching him curiously and smiling with a look of adoration in her eyes. "Eh? What? Do I got some rice on my face'r somethin'?"

"It's nothing like that," she said with a chuckle. Hikaru put her chin in her hands, looking at the bandit leader curiously and smiling. "I was just thinking... how strange it is. You come off as being a loud-mouthed, violent thief, but underneath all of that you're really a very sweet, kind person."

"I am?"

"Mm!" she nodded. "It's odd, but not in a bad way. That's the part of you that made you the leader: your loyalty, your bravery, your concern. Chichiri spoke of you kindly, but I didn't realize how right he was. I suppose that's why I..." Hikaru blushed and looked down. "Ah, nevermind! Can I set this over here? I need to get it out of the way..."

Asatenshi shoved the bowl of broth hastily onto Tasuki's nightstand, then set her own dishes next to that. She turned her head back towards Chichiri, and set about her other tasks. The bandit smiled slightly, knowing she couldn't see it. _'Baka,' he thought somewhat fondly. Out loud, he asked, "So, what're ya doin' fer Chichiri? I know ya said it was a summonin' spell, but ya never said how it worked."_

"Oh, well, that's a little hard to explain..." Hikaru frowned, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. "I suppose what it does is send a message to Chichiri's subconscious. If he chooses to listen - if even one tiny part of his mind is aware of what's going on and wishes to stop it - then he will hopefully start to remember the real world.

"That's what it does to begin with, at least. Like I said last night, it takes about a week to take full effect. After a week or so, the message strengthens - hopefully - and Chichiri will choose to find some means to discover his true self and escape the closed universe."

"Okay." Tasuki hesitated, then asked the question Hikaru knew was coming: "How's he do that?"

"I've only spoken to a few people who were freed from Entrapment, but from what I understand closed universes are created from the memories and thoughts of the person who is Trapped - and, at times, from other-worldly aid. Therefore, if his subconscious decides to, he'll most likely create a person to help him get home. Usually, the person looks similar to the one who's calling them back, so in Chichiri's case it may look a bit like me." Hikaru shrugged, chuckling a little. "I've never done it before, and I've never been Trapped before, so I couldn't tell you for certain... but I think that's how it works."

The bandit leader nodded, only partially understanding Hikaru's words but deciding not to bother her with any more questions. He grinned a little. "Well, I'm glad yer takin' care of it. Maybe it was a blessin' instead of a curse that you 'n' yer sister showed up - 'Chiri woulda been helpless without ya, after all."

The young woman blushed. "Ah, Tasuki-san, it was nothing..." 

"Stop callin' me that."

Hikaru looked up. "Excuse me?"

"Tasuki-san. Only merchants 'n' little kids call me 'san.' The boys call me Genrou, or Leader... er, 'cept Genji-kun, but he's a special case. So how 'bout I call you Hikaru, an' you jus' call me Tasuki, okay?"

Asatenshi turned her eyes back to Chichiri. "Well, all right..." She felt a pair of hands clap on her shoulders. She looked up, only to find herself staring straight into the bandit's golden eyes. She blushed even brighter. "H... hai?"

The Reikaku leader looked at her gently, sparkles in his eyes. "Hikaru-san," Tasuki said as he gazed into her mysterious green pools.

Asatenshi's eyes lit up happily; she cupped her hands together, smiling up at him. "Hai?"

A pastel backdrop appeared, accompanied by soft pink bubbles. "Could you...?"

She leaned in closer, until they were almost nose to nose. "Hai?"

The bandit turned chibi, pointing over his shoulder to his nightstand, "Take the dishes t'the kitchen?" Hikaru face-vaulted. "I jus' thought, since I went through th' trouble of bringin' 'em to ya, you could take 'em back..."

Hikaru sat up again, sweatdropping like there was no tomorrow. "That was all?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She sighed. "Hai."

Hikaru was just about to stand and do as he asked when a familiar voice interrupted the pair. It was muffled slightly by the wood of the door, but the speech pattern and tone couldn't be mistaken. "Knock knock. Who's there? It's Koji, comin' t'give Sleepin' Beauty a report on th' rival gang, who we now know t'be called the Akutsuki Clan. Ah, well, Koji, please come right in." The doors slid open. "A-ri-ga-tou..."

"Oh, Koji, yer back, na?"

The Reikaku co-leader looked down at Hikaru and Tasuki, who were sitting fairly close together and looked to be enjoying themselves. His hazel eyes trailed back up to Tasuki; he blinked a couple of times, then remembered what he was doing and went on. "Huh? Oh, yeah. We got wind of some-a th' Akutsuki members screwin' around on our territory. Me 'n' a few of th' boys went out t'investigate. There was a little skirmish, a few minor injuries, no deaths, no captives on either side. We've all agreed that they're startin' t'piss us off, though."

"Ah!" Hikaru stood swiftly, putting the dishes on the single tray and picking it up in one arm. "I'm not much help when it comes to battle tactics, so I'll leave you gentleman to your discussion. I apologize for interrupting."

"Hikaru-san, ya don't gotta leave so fast..." Koji started to say.

"Oh, I'd only get in the way," she replied with a distracted smile in his direction. Those seemed to be the only smiles he received from her, he thought unhappily. "Besides, I find war strategies extremely boring, so to sit around here would be useless for all of us." She walked to the doorway, then turned. She nodded her head quickly at Koji. "Jaa ne, Mitsuragi-san." Hikaru turned to the bandit leader, smiling shyly and ducking her raven-haired head once more. "Jaa ne... Tasuki."

Koji watched her leave the room. His face remained expressionless, his voice betrayed nothing, and his mind was brushing Hikaru's warmth towards Tasuki aside as nothing but friendship.

But in his heart, ever so slightly, he felt something tighten. 

***

Houjun did not realize that he had passed out, but he must have because the next thing he knew he was lying on the floor and there were people murmuring around him. He opened both eyes carefully, surprised to find all traces of his earlier anguish gone. The pain had decided to disappear with the visions, it seemed. But the memories of the visions had chosen otherwise. Houjun still saw their faces, their friendly faces that he recognized but could not place, faces he had never seen before yet seemed so familiar...

They had called him Chichiri.

_Why?_

Someone had a tight hold of his hand; it took him a minute to realize it was Kouran. She was calling his name, guiding him gently back to reality, to his reality. "Houjun... Houjun... please, please answer me..."

His eyes came into focus; he realized that the small class was gathered around him, looking extremely confused. He turned his brown orbs in Kouran's direction, smiling weakly. "Daijoubu na no da," he managed to murmur. 

_No da? He never said that, not unless he was joking around with his friends._

Her gentle chocolate-brown orbs widened in relief and surprise; Houjun was startled to see that there were tears in her eyes. Kouran breathed a sigh of relief, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "Oh, Houjun... Yokatta."

Wei-sensei leaned over him, studying him carefully with her small, beady eyes. "What in the world happened to you, Ri-san? One minute you're at your desk taking notes and the next thing I know Suzunami-san's screaming your name and you're keeling over with a headache."

Houjun shivered, sitting up despite Kouran's protests. Using the term "ache" on what had just happened to him seemed like a disgusting understatement. He had thought he was going to _die_. The young man hugged his knees to his chest, shaking his head slowly. "I don't know, Wei-sensei. It hit me out of nowhere, this blazing, red pain... and there were visions... those people, they kept talking to me... calling me Chichiri..." He did not notice the looks Hikou and Kouran sent each other. "Strange..."

Wei frowned, putting a wrinkled hand to Houjun's head. "Hm... you don't feel warm, but maybe you should go home. You must be sick, or perhaps the stress of mid-term exams are getting to you."

He shook his head. "Iie, Wei-sensei, I feel fine now-"

"There's no need to take risks."

"It was just when I got that migraine-"

"Nevertheless we should play it safe."

"But I'm honestly-"

"Hikou, would you care to escort your friend to his house?"

Houjun's quick temper was starting to ignite. "Wei-sensei-"

"I wouldn't want him to have another attack and hurt himself on the way home..."

"_Wei-sensei!" he snapped angrily, feeling a pressure that had been building up in him - frustration at being ignored and confusion for what had happened - come rushing out._

_BANG!_

All the windows in the room slammed shut, blown by nonexistent gusts of wind.

The other students and Wei jumped, glancing at each other nervously. Houjun took a breath to calm down; he didn't get that pressurized feeling often, but when he did strange things always seemed to happen. The young man touched a hand to his left eye, as if he were searching for something that wasn't there and should have been. The sensation of missing something - or perhaps, _not_ missing something - didn't make his mood any better.

Not that he could tell his teacher or the rest of the class that, or about those images. They would never believe him; he wasn't sure if he believed it himself. Besides, if his family found out, they'd all be concerned for him. He hated to make his mother and father worry, especially about potentially little things like this; they were busy enough as it was.

"Wei-sensei," he said quietly after a moment, pushing away the disquieted feeling he was starting to get. "I understand your concern, but I'm really all right. I don't want my parents to worry about some freak accident like this." He stood steadily, smiling at the rest of the class. Houjun rubbed the back of his head in embarassment. "I guess the lack of sleep is starting to get to me or something. You know how it is, exams on the way and girlfriends coming over at all hours of the night."

The small group of students - his village wasn't that big, after all - laughed, their nervous tension flowing away with the happy sound. How silly of them, to get all worked up. Houjun was fine, the cram sessions were just starting to get to him. Of course. Headaches were common during hard times. He was fine.

The class went back to its work, their break in everyday life seeming like nothing but a scratch in the sand. Houjun took his seat, gave Kouran and Hikou smiles of reassurance, then got back to his work. The schoolday went smoothly for everyone, with no more changes or unexpected surprises. 

But Kouran and Hikou never took their eyes off of Houjun, never left his side for the rest of the day, never stopped shooting each other nervous, knowing little glances.

They were thinking about the past.

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: August 15, 2003; 2:45 PM_

Hao, minna-san!   
Yup, I'm back again, hope you haven't missed me. I've decided to try posting a verse every couple of weeks, because that just seems to work best for me. With school starting in a few days and all, I'm going to have a lot less time on my hands, henceforth, a lot less time to write. Them's the breaks, I s'pose. For those impatient few out there: Gomen, but twice a month postings look to be the best I can do right now! *Profuse bowing*  
Oh, and I'd also like to apologize if my new pen name caused any confusion. It looks like fanfiction.net decided that only one person could have the name DeeChan, and alas, that one person wasn't me. I declined the offer of "DeeChan1" (bit too unoriginal, don't you think?) and decided to go with "It's The Dee," partially due to a song my friend once made up. Well, that was an intriguing story. *Sweatdrop*

**Random Chapter Comments** I've introduced the world of Houjun's past into this verse, as well as given you a hint of what sort of memory-regaining troubles the poor guy's going to be having. I had a lot of fun recreating the monk's home village, as well as his two best friends. I hope my portrayals of Hikou and Kouran were accurate and to the readers' liking. The series didn't exactly give me a lot to work with, so I wound up having to wing it a little, especially concerning their pasts. And I'm going to have a lot of fun with that in later chapters, rest assured! ^_^  
And, come on, be honest, how kawaii is Genji-kun? I mean, really. I'm so happy I added his character, he's going to be a great addition to the story, as well as a nice bit of comic relief for when things get a little too heavy. *Pinches his li'l cheek* I just wanna squeeze him 'till he squeaks!

_Question of the Week_ Why do Soi and Nakago bleed cherry blossoms?

**Verse Preview?** Kind of a long chapter next time - well, in relation to the others, that is. A restless evening that includes all of the following: Violent dreams, questions and a mantra, as well as the seed of foreshadowing... pardon me while I chuckle villainously. Ah, that's better.  
Mata ne, minna-san!

The Author Formerly Known as DeeChan (hehe),  
Dee ~_^ 


	9. Verse Seven: Nemurenai Yoru wa

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

--> 

The Free Site 

  
_Otaku Side Note: Even though this story has nothing to do with my other FY fic, "Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter," fans of it should get a kick out of the mention of a certain character. But I'm not tellin' who...  
_

**

Verse Seven: Nemurenai Yoru wa   
--Sleepless Night--

**

"When I'm alone,   
Tomorrow feels far away.  
And I must go over still into the darkness of dawn.  
If I let my emotions free,   
My dreams will once again not go well."  
~T.M. Revolution; "Heart of Sword ~ Mae Yoake" (Before Dawn)~

Houjun had never been happier when Wei-sensei dismissed the class, signaling the end of the day. Though the teenager had not experienced any further attacks on his eye or mind for the rest of the afternoon, he had been troubled constantly by the incident during his history period and had been completely unable to concentrate. Houjun was certain that he had bombed the quiz in english, something he never did, and he'd be surprised if he remembered a single thing from the lecture in astrology.

To make matters worse, Kouran and Hikou stuck to him like glue; Houjun wondered if they'd ever left his side. He understood and appreciated their concern, but it was still distracting and somewhat disturbing.

And those people... Houjun couldn't stop thinking about them. Who were they? Why had they suddenly appeared in his mind? Why did they call him Chichiri, one of the Suzaku seishi? And why, above all else, did he feel like he knew them from somewhere!? He had never seen any of them, _ever_! But, somehow...

The young man shook his head as he grabbed his schoolbag, following Hikou and Kouran out of class. He had to stop thinking about all of that. It would keep bothering him for as long as he thought about it, and the longer he thought about it the more worried his friends would become and the more tests he would fail. Those were two things he simply refused to have happen; people who were looking to pass the kakyo didn't bomb tests. They just didn't.

Oh, well. Maybe it really was just stress. Maybe he _had_ been working himself a little too hard. Or maybe, he thought with a small smile, he was some kind of genius and had just invented the cast for some amazing play. Wouldn't that be something: to think you're seeing things and then to turn out to be a playwriting mastermind? Houjun chuckled at the absurdity of his own ideas.

"Care to share what's so funny?" Hikou asked, interrupting his friend's troubled thoughts. "You haven't said a word since we left school. You thinking about some kind of joke or something?"

"Huh?" Houjun jerked his head up, looking in the direction of his companion and shaking his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I was just... just thinking about this morning, I guess. About what happened in history."

Kouran frowned. "About that..." she touched a concerned hand to Houjun's arm, meeting his mahogany eyes with her own brown ones. "Are you all right? You've been really distracted all day, and you've hardly spoken to either me or Hikou."

"You haven't been much better," Houjun reminded her with a flicker of his usual cheer. "I wonder if the two of you ever took your eyes off of me today?" He ran a hand through his sky blue hair, grinning at his companions. "I admit I _am _quite the looker, but I'm not _that _handsome y'know."

"Aren't you?" Kouran's lips brushed past his cheek quickly, making him blush just slightly. 

Hikou folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow as he did. "Was it that obvious? I didn't think you'd noticed." He paused thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, you were so interested in your own little universe that I didn't think you noticed anything today. Ch, I must have gotten a better score on that english quiz than you did, and I _sleep _through that hour."

"It was really starting to worry me!" Kouran added, watching her boyfriend carefully.

Houjun chuckled. "Gomen, gomen. I was a little distracted after what happened, but that was pretty much it. And I appreciate your concern, but I'm sure it's nothing important. Maybe I'm catching a cold or something. It's almost winter, after all, and there's some minor flu bug going around, so that might be it."

"Well, maybe," Kouran's frown lessened just slightly, "but it was still pretty scary. You were unconscious for about a minute, and we were really close to having someone get my father." Kouran's dad was the best and only doctor in Kyokujitsu, and lived just a stone's throw from pretty much anywhere in the small town. "I thought you were going to leave me, for a second there."

"So did I," he said murmured quietly. Houjun looked up, flashing his female friend a reassuring smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Kouran. You know I'd never leave the two of you, at least not without a good fight."

"Hontou [Really]?"

Houjun slipped an arm around Kouran's waist in a comforting gesture. "That's a promise."

His words seemed to relax Kouran immensely. She leaned against him, sighing in relief. "Yokatta."

"Oi, you two mind cuttin' the sappy talk while I'm around?" Hikou asked, feigning irritation. "At least wait until you're in the privacy of your own homes."

Houjun chuckled, swinging his bag of school books over one shoulder and falling into step with his friends. They walked in silence for awhile, enjoying one another's company, until the young man finally broke the quiet. "Do the two of you want to come to my house for a while? You could tell me what happened during astrology. I, uh, wasn't paying a whole lot of attention."

In truth, Houjun just wanted one of them to walk with him the rest of the way home. He was worried about having a relapse of his earlier migraine, and what would happen to him if no one was around to get help? Of course, he'd never let them know that; it would just make Kouran and Hikou worry more.

His female friend shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. My parents are having dinner tonight with the Takamori family, so I'm looking after their daughter until they get back. They're paying me pretty well, too, so there's no way I'd back out now."

"Mae-chan? With the way she acts, I'd watch her for free."

"Oh, so would I, but a person has to make a little money here and there," Kouran remarked with a smile. "Otherwise, I'd have to beg you to buy me that jewelry I saw at Utada-san's stand the other day..."

Houjun held up his hands. "Go! Babysit! Get paid, for the love of Suzaku!" He laughed, glancing towards Hikou. "How about you? Up for a little study-session? I'll help get you caught up in the classes you missed."

The taller of the two young men shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention in class either - I rarely do, y'know - but sure, I'll come over. I'd never miss getting a delicious meal from the most beautiful woman in Kyokujitsu Village."

"That's my mother you're talking about!"

"Well, it ain't _my fault that she's a fox..."_

_Wham! A chibi Hikou went flying across the street, courtesy of a backwards punch from an equally chibi Houjun. "How many times do I have to tell you!? Do! Not! Hit! On! My! Mom!"_

"Gomen, gomen..." Hikou muttered, his face planted against a stone wall.

Kouran sweatdropped, but couldn't help but smile. "Memory attack" or not, Houjun was still the hard-working, cheerful young man she'd fallen in love with; Hikou was still the wild fast-talker who always kept Houjun from getting too serious; and she was still Kouran, the female addition who aided in their schemes but kept them from getting into too much trouble. A perfect balance; a perfect group.

She was going to make sure it stayed that way. 

***

"Daa... I can't understand this at all."

It was later that evening, and Houjun and Hikou were splayed out across the floor of Houjun's room attempting to do their homework. Papers, books, scrolls, inks and quill pens lay across their working space in high disarray, but neither young man cared about the mess they had created. They were much too concerned with a particular question to think about anything else, including - to Hikou's relief - the incident from that morning.

"Okay... okay, we learned about this astrology stuff, like, two years ago, right?" Hikou reasoned, biting the end of his quill thoughtfully. "We should know this. This is kid stuff. Easy. A no-brainer."

"Exactly," Houjun agreed. "We're just not thinking clearly. We need to concentrate. Think back a couple of years. It's so simple. This is child's play."

There was a long, almost comically drawn-out pause, then both young men looked at each other and nodded solemnly. "We're screwed."

"Onii-chan! Hikou!" the two looked up as the door to Houjun's room opened slightly. Kyoui entered a moment later, grinning at the pair. "Okaa-san said that dinner's ready."

Hikou stood, brushing off some of the ink from his hands onto his pants. "Guess I'd better head home, then..."

"You don't have to! Okaa-san also said that if you wanna stay she doesn't mind. Since Otoo-san's away on business, there's always a little extra food to go around."

"Eh, that's the third time this week, isn't it? No, Kyoui-chan, I don't want to impose..." 

"Hikou," Houjun's tone was friendly, but somewhat commanding. "Stay."

The older man frowned. "Well, all right... if you insist then I guess I'll have to accept, won't I?" Hikou walked past the younger girl, pretending to be annoyed. "If you're all going to be so pushy about it, I feel like I don't have much choice..."

Kyoui cocked an eyebrow, watching as he left. "Huh? Why's he...?"

Houjun chuckled, shaking his head at his companion. "Don't bother, Kyo-chan. I don't understand him either." He followed his friend down the hall to the kitchen, his younger sister close on his heels. 

The young man smiled behind Hikou's back; in truth, he understood him very well. Hikou's family didn't have a lot of money for anything, including food, and it was oftentimes a lot easier for them if Hikou found somewhere else to eat besides his own house. 

Of course, he didn't like admitting that, and he was too polite to ask, so it was usually Houjun's or his parents' duty to invite the young man to stay for the meal. Hikou had too much pride to act like the offer was needed, so he pretended that he was forced into staying. It was an interesting game Houjun had been playing with his friend for years, but it was a game that both sides understood so nobody was offended.

Houjun took a seat at the dinner table across from his brother and next to his best friend, smiling politely at his mother. "Kon-wa [Good evening (informal)], Okaa-san. What's on the menu today?"

"I'm sure whatever it is it'll delicious, Yukari-san!" Hikou remarked, grinning at the attractive older woman.

A very tiny anger vein popped out on Houjun's head. He forced a smile, but under the table he jabbed his friend in the leg with his chopsticks.

Yukari didn't seem to notice. "Arigatou, Hikou, but you're really too kind. Everybody knows Houjun's father is the real cook in the family. I'm just a nice stand-in for when he's away."

Ri Shinsei was, like his father and his father, a government official and the unofficial spokesman for the few villages in the area. This meant that he was gone on business trips often, sometimes for a few weeks, which left Yukari charge. Houjun greatly loved and respected his father, and it had always been an unspoken agreement in the household that he'd follow the tradition his great-something grandfather had set. Though Houjun had to admit he wasn't extremely interested in politics, he knew it would make his father happy, and he planned on following through with his plans of taking the "Hell Test," the kakyo, once he finished school.

"Speaking of Otoo-san, when's he coming back?" Kyoui asked somewhat sadly, stirring her rice around on her plate. She always hated it when her father was gone, probably more so than even Yukari did. "It's been a week, hasn't it? He said it wouldn't take long."

"You know how business at the Imperial City is, especially at this time of year," Yukari reminded her with a small, wistful smile. "Gods only know how many other officials of the Konan region are trying to get in a talk with the Emperor."

"Otoo-san's gonna talk to the Emperor!?" Mitsuru exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping up from the table. "D'you think he'll get me an autograph!? That's some pretty impressive stuff."

Yukari sweatdropped. "Eh... I'm sure Saihitei-sama's very busy, but if your father gets a chance..."

_Crash!_

Houjun's cup slipped out of his fingers and hit the floor, shattering into several pieces. He gripped the edge of the table tightly with one hand, grappling at his left eye with his other. The young man's face was contorted into a look of agony, and he was moaning softly, painfully, to himself.

"Onii-chan!?" Kyoui cried, voice a panicked shriek. "Onii-chan, what's wrong!?"

He barely heard her, and he certainly didn't answer her. He didn't have the energy to focus his strength on anything else but the overwhelming blast of crimson fire that raced from his nose to his left eyebrow, consuming his eye in unbearable flames. It was just like that afternoon, except multiplied by ten. And just like that afternoon, it was accompanied by those images... somehow, that was the worst part...

**_FLASH!_**__

_The well-dressed man across from him was speaking, acting like they were friends. "So you think the Seiryuu seishi have all been assembled?"_

_He was holding a piece of material in his hand; a smiling mask. "I don't have any proof, but I think it might be true, Heika [Highness]."_

Houjun felt himself keeling over, falling out of his chair. Someone's strong arms caught him, held him tightly, gently lowered him to the ground. Tasuki? Koji? Mitsukake? Tamahome? _Who were they?_ "Suzaku, Houjun..." Hikou. It was Hikou.

**_FLASH!_**__

_He steered his horse hard across the plains, on a beeline for where he was certain - even without his ki-sensing abilities - the Emperor was fighting. Hotohori, who had challenged that Seiryuu seishi, that seishi who was certain to defeat him..._

_But he was too late. Everytime. He was always too late._

_"HOTOHORI-SAMA!"___

"Iie..." he groaned, hardly realizing he had said the word.

A female palm touched his forehead. Maybe it was Kouran. Or Miaka. Hikaru. Shuu. The same person gripped his hand in hers, allowing him to squeeze tightly. "Houjun. Oh, Houjun." Ah. It was his mother. Of course... of course... "Mitsuru, get Doctor Suzunami. _Now_."

"H-hai!"

Houjun didn't think he could stay awake much longer. This was too much... all of it, it was just too much...

"Hang on. Help's on the way. Oh, Houjun, whatever happened, please, please, don't leave me."

Leave you?

No, never... He couldn't... he had promised Kouran that he wouldn't... No matter what, he had to keep that promise. He didn't want to dissapoint her. Not after he'd let down Hotohori-tachi like that.

Who were Hotohori-tachi!?

**_FLASH!_**

_He looked across a cemetary at a young, grey-haired boy. He was conversing with the little girl they had discovered earlier that day. _

_"So, you think that guy's Hotohori reincarnated?" a rough voice asked by his side._

_"I can't be sure, but it would make sense no da. Better check the-"_

NO!

Houjun's mental scream snapped the vision off halfway. He writhed helplessly against the pain, held down by strong arms - Hikou's, he realized - to keep him from hurting himself. He panted heavily and tried to find some reserves of strength to fight off the waves of hot fire that assailed his eye. He couldn't pass out again. He couldn't leave them. He had promised Kouran. 

The young man threw his senses outwards, focusing on his mother, his little sister, his best friend. He concentrated all his energy on them, kept himself from getting pulled back into that shadow world by gripping to what was certain, what was reality. He wasn't going to leave... _he refused!_

Gradually, Houjun pushed the pain across his face down to a dull throb. He relaxed, still panting from the mental exertion - he had never known you could physically wear yourself out like this! - and let himself collapse into someone's arms. He didn't have the desire to open his eyes just yet - he wanted to defeat his invisible foe entirely before he did anything else - and allowed himself to listen to the talk of the others.

"Houjun..." That was Hikou's voice; he sounded nearby, almost directly above him. "Gods, not again..."

Yukari squeezed Houjun's hand gently, but when she spoke there was a sharp edge to her voice. "What? Hikou, did you say 'again'? This happened before?"

"During history class. Houjun didn't want to worry you, so he asked me not to say anything." Hikou paused, then said optimistically. "He completely collapsed that time, though, so maybe it isn't as bad now."

_Ha! Houjun thought dryly. It was a thousand times worse. At least the first time he'd allowed himself to slip into painless slumber; now he had to endure every minute of this Hell as the pain subsided little by little. But he couldn't just fall asleep. What if he didn't wake up? No, he'd just endure it until it ended; it had to end eventually, after all._

"You should have told me..." Yukari admonished half-heartedly. "Ugh, that's just like him, to sacrifice his own safety so I wouldn't be concerned. Just like his father..."

"Okaa-san?" Kyoui asked timidly. Houjun felt a hand touch his shoulder; he realized it must be his sister. "Is Houjun gonna be okay? Is he sick or something? Do you know what's wrong?"

"I don't know, Kyoui-chan," she said quietly, and somewhat impatiently. "We'll just have to wait for Mitsuru to get back with Doctor Suzunami..."

"Suzunami-san won't be home," Hikou remarked, his voice almost panicky. "I just remembered, Kouran said he was going out to dinner tonight."

"Well, he always leaves someone at the house. I'm sure his assistant will come instead." Vaguely, Houjun heard the sound of feet slapping across the ground outside of his home. His mother must have heard it as well because she turned to Kyoui and said, "That must be Mitsuru and Shindou-san now. Get the door, please."

Reluctantly, the young girl stomped off towards the entrance. Yukari turned back to her son, giving his hand another small, comforting squeeze. "Daijoubu, Houjun. Shindou-san's right here, he's going to take care of you. You'll be all right."

Inwardly, Houjun wondered how a doctor could ever take care of headache-inducing visions. Outwardly, he nodded and squeezed her hand back to show he understood. Though the ache had almost disappeared, he still didn't want to risk doing anything except focus on keeping the pain away.

The smooth voice of Shindou Eiri, Doctor Suzunami's assistant, reached Houjun's ears. He was a young man, probably just a year or so older than Houjun, and because of his connections with Kouran they knew each other well. "Okay, where is he? Mitsuru-kun said Houjun-kun was hurt..." Though Houjun couldn't see it, he figured Eiri must have spotted him on the floor. There was a patter of feet, then someone else was kneeling by his side. "Oi, Houjun-kun. If you can hear me, just give some kind of sign, okay?"

The young man opened his eyes, grinning at the doctor-in-training. "I can hear you, and you just spit on my face."

Eiri blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "If he's well enough to make jokes I'd say he ought to be all right." He turned toward Yukari. "So, what exactly happened? Mitsuru-kun wasn't too clear on that."

"Houjun had a serious headache," Hikou answered quickly, still holding tightly to his friend, almost as if he were afraid of losing him. "It happened earlier today, too, except that time he passed out."

"Oh? Well, maybe he's got a touch of that flu... it _is_ late autumn, after all, and those sort of things are bound to pop up once in a while..." Eiri put a hand lightly to Houjun's head, frowning thoughtfully. "Hm... you _do seem a little bit warm; nothing to get worried over, but still... maybe you should let him stay home tomorrow, just in case."_

Kyoui, who had always been taught that you should never interrupt adults when they were talking, forgot her manners and butted in. "Do think that's all it is? Onii-chan was in a lot of pain; you should've seen it."

"Don't interrupt your elders, hun," Yukari said distractedly. She looked at Houjun, then up at Eiri. "It certainly seemed like a lot more than a flu, Shindou-san... you don't think it could be anything else?"

"Well, if you want me to, I can do a routine check-up, just to make sure everything else is okay..."

"Please, do."

Houjun sat quietly and somewhat impatiently, wondering if anyone would get the bright idea to ask _him what was wrong. He closed his eyes in exhaustion while Eiri checked his pulse and heartbeat, then gathered his waning strength and opened them again while the man poked around to check his other vitals and senses._

Eiri leaned back on his heels after a few minutes, turnings towards Yukari and shrugging. "His left eye is a little unfocused, and I think he has a low fever, but other than that everything's completely normal. I don't know what to tell you, Ri-san, other than let him rest for a day and see what happens."

"Hai, Shindou-san," Yukari frowned, shooting a worried glance at her son. "Dakedo [But still]..."

"Listen, Ri-san, you really have nothing to worry about. If it's just a headache-"

"-A _migraine_," Mitsuru corrected.

"-a migraine, then - I don't think there's any reason for you to get upset."

"But that wasn't all," Houjun's voice was quiet, weak from the effort he'd put on himself earlier, and the doctor had to strain to hear it. He turned towards the younger man, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Eiri-san, what if a headache is accompanied by..." he hesitated. He shouldn't finish his sentence. He should just leave it alone, forget it ever happened, not worry his mother any further. _'Just drop it_,_'_ a part of him insisted.

But he had to know. He had to know if something was happening to him, if this was something strange or if it had happened before, to others... and not just to people who were losing their minds. Otherwise he'd never be able to relax. His selfish side won out. "What if the headaches are accompanied by visions?"

Eiri blinked. Everyone did. The room was suffocatingly quiet for a long moment, and Houjun was certain that he'd just been signed down as "mentally insecure" by everyone in the room. Shindou Eiri finally broke the silence, coughing to clear his throat. "Visions, you say? What of? Childhood memories, things that might be in dreams? It's not common, but with headaches it's entirely possible..."

Houjun shook his head. "Not memories. They aren't like dreams, either: they're way too clear to be dreams." He frowned, sitting up despite his mother and Hikou's protests. "It's more like... I don't know. It's a little bit like I'm someone else. Like I'm just watching it all through somebody else's eyes. The people in them... I feel like I should know them, but I _know_ I've never seen them before..."

Yukari touched a hand to her son's shoulder lightly. "Houjun, maybe you should go get some rest. It's been a long day, and I'm sure with everything that happened you're a little disoriented..."

Houjun shook his head, brushing off his mother's arm and never letting his eyes leave Eiri's. "No, Okaa-san. I'm thinking straight. At least, I hope I am. That's why I want to know what this is." His mahogany orbs pleaded with the doctor-in-training. "I'm not... _losing it_, am I?"

Eiri fidgeted with his bag of supplies; he had obviously never caught himself in this kind of situation. "Well, there's plenty of medical reasons - stress, the fever, the migraine - and then if you want to get into it, there are spiritual reasons too. If you want some other answer look towards wandering ghosts, someone from the past... I don't know, there're all sorts of those stories, aren't there?"

"It can't be that," Houjun said quietly. He looked down, curling his hand into a frustrated fist. "The people in them, they always refer to me as Chichiri..."

"One of the shichi seishi," Mitsuru whispered quietly from the doorway.

The older Ri boy nodded. "Suzaku hasn't been summoned yet. These can't be someone else's memories, because they haven't even happened."

"Listen, Houjun, a lot of dreams can seem real, especially when you're in as much pain as you were," Yukari reasoned gently with her son. "Perhaps it just _seemed like you weren't dreaming..."_

"Okaa-san, I _wasn't dreaming!" Houjun practically shouted. "I could hear you, Hikou, Kyo-chan, all of you perfectly! I was still here in body, and mostly in mind. But those scenes... those images..."_

Eiri's loud laugh broke through the young man's words. All eyes turned to the doctor, who seemed to find something incredibly amusing. Houjun opened his mouth to vent his anger on Suzunami's assistant, but the older man waved a hand to silence him. Wiping tears from his eyes, Eiri shook his head and chuckled quietly to himself. "Goodness, no wonder I'm still an assistant. I should have figured this out from the very beginning. Ah, if Suzunami-san were here he'd boot me across the room."

"And if you don't tell us something soon, _I'm_ going to boot you across the room," Hikou growled impatiently, one firm hand still placed on Houjun's arm. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"Gomen, gomen." Eiri cleared his throat, then turned to address Yukari. "Ri-san, Houjun-kun plans on taking the kakyo after the spring exams, ne?" A nod. "Of course. And mid-term exams are coming up, right?" A nod. "If he isn't sick, than he's probably just overworked. It happens to a lot of kids - happened to me, come to think of it. You get yourself all tied in a knot because of schoolwork and future careers and girlfriends that sometimes your mind just can't handle all of it. So, you get headaches - ah, migraines, whatever - and you have some strange dreams."

"It wasn't a-!"

"You can have dreams when you're half-awake, you know," Eiri interrupted with a wave of his hand. "My advice: take it easy. Cut back on all the stuff you do, and just try to enjoy life a little. Pretty soon you're going to be out of school forever, so just lay back and have fun with it while it lasts."

"You really think that's it?" Kyoui asked anxiously, hopping back and forth.

Eiri chuckled. "Either that, or your brother's a bonified seer and we should ship him to the palace so he can help predict the Priestess' arrival." 

Yukari snorted; she was an extremely practical woman, and theories like that weren't even worth laughing at as far as she was concerned. "Thank you for your time, Shindou-san. I apologize for dragging you out here so late, but I'm sure you understand the importance. How much do we owe you for your troubles?"

The young doctor grinned hungrily. "Drop off a jugful of that imported Hokkan sake you folks get and we'll call it even. My cabinet's been dry for weeks, and I'd take that over money any time."

Houjun's mother laughed. "I think we can manage that. Arigatou, Shindou-san."

"Doo itashimashite. I'll show myself out..."

"Mm! Sayonara, then. Tell Yumi and Yasunori I said 'hello.'"

"I'll do that. Jaa ne, Ri-san."

As the young doctor exited, Hikou stood as well, gently releasing his hold on his friend. Houjun rubbed at his arm; sometime during the conversation, his friend had gripped him hard enough to raise a lump. "I'd better head home too, Ri-san. Thanks for the meal."

"Oh, Hikou, wait just a minute," Yukari called, stopping the young man before he reached the door. He turned around, smiling slightly in her direction. "Ano... I'm not completely sure how to ask this, but... would you mind staying here for the night? I'm worried about Houjun, what with this sickness - or whatever it is - and with Shinsei away... well, if it happens again I'd feel much more comfortable if there were a man in the house to keep Houjun from injuring himself."

"Well, if you and Houjun don't mind, then I guess I could... I'll have to run home and tell Nee-san..."

"Certainly. And thank you for your help. He could have really hurt himself if you weren't here..."

From where he was sitting, the oldest Ri child sighed miserably. This was exactly what he _hadn't_ wanted to happen. Now his mother was afraid for him, Hikou was acting like his bodyguard - protecting him from _himself_, no less! - and his siblings probably thought he was either crazy or deathly sick. 

And yet, somehow, that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the fact that he didn't know what to think of it, either. He couldn't explain anything that was happening to him: the sudden headaches, the flashes of a memory he didn't possess, the people who, as soon as they spoke he felt like he'd known them for years, yet whose names he couldn't place. He was attempting to read a book just by looking at the pictures, and try as he might he couldn't get the whole story.

At this point, though, he didn't _want_ to know the whole story. He just wanted it to stop, before half the village found out that he was seeing places and people that didn't exist. Before he started believing his worst fears. Before something really serious happened to him.

_'Suzaku,' he thought desperately, putting his tired head in his hands. _'I don't know what the hell is happening to me, but please, please, just make it stop. Just let them all leave me alone. _Please__.' _

***

Tasuki couldn't sleep again. He had only had a few hours of sleep that day and knew he should have been tired, but instead found himself staring drearily up at the ceiling of his room into the late hours of the night. It must have been about midnight, he decided, judging by the shadows the moon cast through the blinds of his single window. 

The bandit closed his amber eyes, deciding that this time he was definitely going to fall asleep. He needed to rest. What if the gang needed him tomorrow, and he was too burned-out to do anything? The thought of losing any of the members was one he couldn't stand. Reikaku meant everything to Tasuki, _was everything to Tasuki; especially now that all the seishi were reincarnated, with lives of their own and erased memories, and Chichiri was..._

_No. Stop. Don't think about that. Don't think about Chichiri. That was the worst possible way to get to sleep. That was the very reason he was still awake. Because he couldn't stop thinking about the monk. Couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to him if Chichiri died, if his last link to the seishi and one of his few close companions were to leave him... were to die alone, with Tasuki unable to do anything about it._

Again.

_No. That wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to let it happen. Chichiri had always been there for him, always been there to save his ass during their seishi travels. Before and after that, it had been Koji who had kept him alive. If he lost Chichiri, all he'd have left was Koji, and what if his bandit friend wasn't there all the time...?_

The bandit clenched a fist against the bed, gritting his teeth unhappily. What the hell was he _thinking_? He was worrying about himself, about his own survival, when Chichiri was the one whose life was in danger! What the hell was wrong with him? How could he think like that? This was for Chichiri, for Chichiri's safety and possibly for his life. Nothing else mattered right now. The monk was his main concern. 

But was he...?

Stop. Don't think about it. He had promised himself he would help save Chichiri. His reasons for making that promise didn't matter. Just as long as he followed through. Just as long as he succeeded. And he would. Somehow, he would. He had to. Otherwise...

Stop thinking. About weaknesses, about the past. Just stop. None of it mattered. Leave it alone. Keep it buried. It was easier that way. 

Keep going. Move ahead. Live.

Tasuki sighed, opening his eyes again and listening to the steady sound of his monk companion breathing quietly. Hikaru had said that talking to Chichiri might help, that it might bring him back to reality quicker. Well, it was worth a try, anyway. At least it was better than sitting here worrying. Tasuki was a better doer than a thinker, anyway.

"Oi, Chichiri..." he said quietly, almost as if he expected the monk to answer back. "You prob'ly can't hear me, but Hikaru said that talkin' to ya might speed up this whole thing. I got nothin' better t'do, so I guess I may's well give it a shot."

There was a long pause, then Tasuki went on. "Ch, what th' hell am I s'posed t'say, na? Hikaru wasn't specific on that. I guess it don't matter what I talk about, 'cause it ain't like yer gonna hear any of this anyway. Ya know what really pisses me off? Th' way that, even though I'm startin' t'understand this Holy Oath mess, there still ain't a damned thing I c'n do about it. I'm jus' glad Hikaru's here, otherwise there wouldn't be any way t'help ya. Bandits ain't exactly healers, y'know.

"At th' same time, I can't decide if those Asatenshi sisters' comin' here is a good thing'r not. Hikaru's been helpin' you out an' all, an' Koji sure seems t'like her, so I don't have a whole lot against her. She ain't too bad... well, fer a girl. Yeah, yeah, I know, I told Miaka I wouldn't say I hate girls anymore. That don't mean I can't say they annoy me, na? Heheh..." 

The bandit frowned thoughtfully. "An' then there's that Gaki, Shuu. I dunno _what t'think-a that one. Koji never says much about her, but I get th' feelin' he's talked t'her a little and she scared him, or at least bothered him about somethin'. Koji ain't th' kinda guy t'get shaken up by little things, either... ah, well, if it's important I guess he'll tell me eventually. She hasn't done anythin' worthwhile since she got here, 'cept make you dinner t'night, an' all she ever does t'me 'n' the other bandits is make sarcastic remarks an' call me stupid. Huh, I know I ain't a genius, but I ain't an idiot, either!_

"Th' thing is... I can't decide if I trust her or not. I thought I didn't, at first, but now I ain't so sure. I can't figure her out at all. I mean, you know me, I can't figure many _people _out, but this is worse'n usual. Sometimes she acts like she's tryin' t'help us an' it jus' turns out wrong, an' other times she acts like we c'd all get murdered in our sleep an' she wouldn't care at all."

Tasuki sighed. "I guess I prob'ly don't trust her. I don't trust a lotta people. Sad, ain't it? You, Koji, a few of th' other Reikaku members, maybe Hikaru... that's about it. Hell, I don't even trust myself, not after that night when I..."

Shit. What was he doing? He wanted to stay away from this kind of talk. Forget about the past. Forget about weaknesses. Just forget it.

"This is stupid," the bandit grumbled, rolling over so his back was facing the unconscious monk. "Here I am, about t'spill my guts to a friggin' vegetable. I bet yer real happy in yer little closed universe, too. Prob'ly don't give a rat's ass that I'm out here, actually worried about ya..." 

Tasuki closed his golden eyes once again. He wanted to get into a fight; he thought that it would make him feel better. But of course, all he got in response to his accusations was the steady, in-and-out breathing of the comatose monk. Somehow, that made him feel almost guilty. 

"Oi, 'Chiri," he murmured, smiling a little. "D'ya remember that one time, when we were travelin' through Sairou, an' Miaka tried t'cook that meal fer us...?" 

***

Houjun, with his best friend lying on the floor next to his bed, had no trouble falling asleep that evening. The young man was so drained, emotionally and physically, from the events that had occured that day that even the thought of those strange visions couldn't keep him from slumber. And, the way he figured, while he was sleeping he couldn't be attacked by those memories that didn't belong to him.

He figured wrong.

The teenager's troubles weren't in _falling _asleep, but they began shortly after he had drifted off. His sleep was dreamless for a while - or, at least, he didn't remember anything from it when he woke up - but after an hour or so, things started turning for the worst.

_"Oi, Chichiri..." someone said quietly._

Houjun knew he should not have known that voice, but for some reason the name "Tasuki" flashed through his head. He tried to picture that person, tried to find some face he might know that would match the name he had drawn from nowhere. He could find nothing.

_"You prob'ly can't hear me..."_

But he could. Perfectly. Clearly. Better than he could hear his own thoughts, envision his own voice or memories. Someone. A voice with no mouth, a name with no face, calling to him out of the darkness. Houjun wanted to find them, wanted to discover who it was, why they knew him, why they sounded unhappy and alone. He didn't know where to begin looking, though, and could only listen helplessly, hoping for some kind of clue that would help him figure this all out.

_"...But Hikaru said that talkin' to ya might speed up this whole thing. I got nothin' better t'do, so I guess I may's well give it a shot."_

**Hikaru.**

_Scene change.__ He was in a room that looked vaguely familiar, sitting on a bed next to a woman he felt that he had known at some time or another. He could sense her smile, could see the raven-blue hair that framed her face. Houjun peered through the murk of his dreams to try to get a good look at her, but her face was indistinguishable._

_"I have decided," the woman - instinctively, he knew to call her "Asatenshi" - said. "That I'm going to figure it out."_

_"Figure out what na no da?" he asked automatically, almost as if he didn't have any control over his own voice._

_"How to erase it," she explained. "I'm going to learn how to erase all that pain, and help you be completely, one-hundred percent happy again! Because, someday... I'd like to see you really smile, if only once." The young woman leaned down next to her friend, winking and flashing a victory sign. "That, Chichiri, is a promise from Asatenshi Hikaru, and I never break my promises."_

That voice that he knew but didn't know at all penetrated his thoughts again, talking quietly; but now "Tasuki's" voice seemed farther away, almost like background music, as the dreams continued. _"...I'm jus' glad Hikaru's here, otherwise there wouldn't be any way t'help ya. Bandits ain't exactly healers, y'know."_

**Healer.**

_Scene change._**_He was sitting at a table with another man; a table that was much too large for two people. He looked down at his hands, at the cup of tea that sat in them, and at the tear stains that dotted his sleeves. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He had been crying all day; he would not cry at the table, not in front of his friend. "Hotohori-sama's in a meeting, na no da?"_**

_"Mm," the man - the voice was a younger version of the one who had called to him - said. He glanced down at his meal, which he hadn't touched, and let out an unhappy sigh. "Seems kinda lonely, jus' th' two of us out here... maybe I oughta have invited Koji-tachi t'eat with us..." _

_The two of us.__ With Hotohori, that made three, and if you could count Tamahome - wherever he was - it added up to four Celestial warriors. _

_A day ago, the number had been five. _

_The redhead, whose face Houjun still could not place, cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation. "Eto... th' battle's kinda stopped fer a while, so I don't gotta do nothin'... d'ya think we oughta, I dunno, visit their graves... 'r somethin'...?"_

_Their graves.__ Nuriko's, even though his body was on Mount Koku; Chiriko's, which would forever be the resting place of the young Suzaku seishi as well as a vicious Seiryuu seishi; and Mitsukake, who had been alive just twenty-four hours ago._

_Mitsukake!_

_They had been alike, in so many ways. Everything they loved had been taken from them; their families, their friends, their loved ones... And they both blamed themselves for it, for being unable to help the women they cared so much about, for being helpless to stop the unthinkable from happening. Their pain, their resolve, their dedication to the only thing they had left... All the same, sharing their losses and wisdom silently with each other, and taking strength from it._

_Mitsukake had blamed himself for Nuriko-tachi's deaths. He was the healer. He should have been able to do something. Chichiri had told him it wasn't his fault, that it had just happened. But he hadn't listened; or, maybe he had listened, and it just hadn't mattered anymore. Mitsukake had blamed himself for his own pain, which had caused him even more pain, which, ultimately, had led to his final decision._

_Chichiri had made such a decision before - and failed, in the end - but in that case the two of them were completely different. While he had selfishly chosen to try and end his own life in order to stop his sorrow, Mitsukake had given his life away, given__ it away to save others! _

_Houjun felt his hands grip his cup tightly, saw the tears spill from behind his masked eyes, heard the sobs break helplessly from his throat._

_It wasn't fair! he wanted to scream. If Suzaku had chosen to claim another of his warrior's lives, then why couldn't it have been him!? Mitsukake didn't deserve it; he was too good of a person for that! He had dedicated his life to helping others, while all Chichiri had done was destroy life after life! Why Mitsukake!? Why was Mitsukake taken!?_

_Why couldn't it have been him!?_

_Tasuki's hesitant hand touched his shoulder. Houjun could sense that the other man was feeling extremely uncomfortable, but equally sad, and didn't know quite what to do. "Oi, Chichiri..."_

Houjun was crying, though he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he had ever seen these people before; it wasn't like he had personally known them. None of this should matter, none of them shoulder matter.

So why, he wondered, did the name "Mitsukake" and the scene that had just flashed before his eyes bring such a painful ache to his heart?

The one who he now knew as Tasuki was still talking, had been talking, but only now did he hear his voice clearly once again. _"I guess I prob'ly don't trust her. I don't trust a lotta people. Sad, ain't it? You, Koji, th' other Reikaku members, maybe Hikaru... that's about it. Hell, I don't even trust myself, not after that night when I..."_

**Night.******

_Scene change.__ He was standing at the mouth of a cave. It was raining. Lightning speckled the overcast sky as thunder rolled ominously through the landscape. This place was new to him. This place was familiar to him. Inside, death awaited him._

_There were two people with him, a redhead and a teal-haired man. One gripped a crystal fan; the other was weaponless, but clenched his fists like he knew how to use them. He barely paid attention to them. His main focus was on the barrier of solid water that stood before him._

_Houjun, a helpless puppet in this mysterious play, watched one hand tighten around a staff while the other came up to his mouth. He listened as he chanted a spell that he did not understand, gritted his teeth as he sent his life force pounding at the barrier._

_The wall of water shattered. The three of them were inside._

_Houjun's eyes - no, not eyes, eye__ - darted around the cave, searching out the familiar life force of a Priestess and the equally familiar life force of an old friend. His hair hung wetly over his working eye, and it took him a while to make out the forms of the two people in the cave._

_One was a young woman, trapped in a force field of some kind. She was looking at him with fear in her eyes, terror for he and his friends' safety. _

_The other was a man, a man who was different but still so very much the same. There were black things arching from his back - wings? - and he was dressed in a curiously garrish outfit. Still, he looked so familiar... _

_The man grinned. Chichiri readied himself for the battle that was certain to come, the battle he did not want to fight and yet had to, in order to save the life of one friend and the soul of another. "So, you've finally come. Houjun."_

_That voice. That smile. That face. Everything._

_Houjun screamed helplessly, driven over the border by fear, realization and shock.__ "HIKOU!"_

"No! Oh, gods, no! Don't make me fight him, don't make me kill him! Please, please...!"

Hikou heard his friend's calls almost immediately. He jumped up, glancing over at his sleeping friend. "Eh? Houjun?"

The young man, forehead dotted with sweat and eyes rimmed with tears, moaned in his sleep, hands gripping against imaginary enemies. "Gods, no... no... Hikou, please, no...!"

His friend's eyes widened in surprise; could he be dreaming about _that? Hikou gripped Houjun's shoulders in his hands, shaking his friend gently. "Houjun, wake up, you're having a dream."_

Houjun's body flared with red power; the sudden shock burned Hikou's hands, forcing him to pull away for a moment. The younger man was biting his lip now, so hard that it bled. After a moment, he sat up with a start, fingers grappled helplessly at the air as he shouted his terror- and pain-filled call once more. "_Hikou!_"

Hikou gripped his friend's flailing hand, ignoring the fire that raced from the faintly glowing younger man and into his own fingertips. "Houjun, it's okay, everything's okay. I'm right here."

The teenager's body seemed to go slack at his friend's touch. A few seconds later, he opened his mahogany orbs halfway. Still half asleep, he looked straight into Hikou's worried face. "Hikou...?"

He smiled weakly. "The one and only."

Houjun's eyes opened all the way, then widened in surprise and relief. "Oh, gods..." This was all just too much. He collapsed helplessly into his best friend's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Hikou, you're not dead, you're not my enemy... oh, Suzaku, Hikou... I dreamt... I dreamt..." he broke down again, gripping the older man's shirt tightly in his hands. "Before it was just those strangers... it was never like this... but now, now..."

Hikou didn't need to ask what Houjun was talking about. He knew all too well, better than even his memory-wiped friend did. He let his younger, smaller companion cry, wishing that his words and contact alone could stop Houjun's pain. She had warned them about this, and she had said the first day would be the worst, but he had never thought, not in his wildest dreams, that it would get this violent this fast. "It's okay, Houjun. Whatever happened, whatever you saw... it's okay. It wasn't real."

"Not yet, anyway," he said quietly. "Hikou... Hikou, I saw... I don't know. But it was me. It was definitely me. And you. You were... I don't know, but we were fighting. We were _enemies_, Hikou! And some part of me..." Houjun paused for a moment, fighting back his helpless sobs. "Some part of me _remembered _it. It hadn't happened, it will _never_ happen, but... but somehow, it felt familiar! Like I had been there before..."

"I'm so sorry, Houjun," Hikou said quietly, for more reasons that his friend could know.

"What's _happening to me?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper; it was the only way he could keep himself from breaking down again. "Am I losing it? Is that it? Am I going _crazy_, Hikou?"_

"Iie," he assured him. "You're not going crazy. People who lose their minds don't _know it happens. Maybe it isn't medical, but there are other answers, too. My grandmother used to talk about wandering spirits inhabiting the bodies of people and showing their memories. Maybe some poor soul's just trying to get his story out, just trying to be heard. I don't know. _Something_."_

Houjun didn't believe it, not after the things he'd seen, but he didn't want to admit that to his friend. "Maybe you're right," he remarked, pulling his emotions under control. "Whatever's happening, it'll stop. It'll get better. It has to."

"No kidding," Hikou murmured with a humourless chuckle. "It can't get much worse, anyway."

"Did I wake anybody else?"

"Surprisingly, no. At least, I don't think so."

"That's one good thing, I guess. Don't tell Okaa-san-tachi about this. They'd just get worried, and that's the last thing I want." Houjun pulled away from his friend's chest, leaning his head against Hikou's shoulder and smiling a little. "Sorry for getting your shirt all soggy..."

The other man chuckled. "Hey, no problem. You did the same thing for me, when we were kids."

Houjun sighed. "Hikou... you really think I'm going to be okay? You don't think that this is... I don't know, something I should be worried about?"

"Well, gods, Houjun, you're suffering splitting headaches, visions, hearing voices and having nightmares. Hell yes you should be worried." Hikou chuckled. "But don't think you're going crazy. You're not the 'going crazy' type. It doesn't run in your family - unlike mine, thanks to Great-Aunt Michiko. There's tons of other reasons for this, and trust me, that's the last one on the list."

"Arigatou, Hikou," his friend said quietly. Houjun pulled away, leaning back in his bed while Hikou sat on the edge. The two were silent for a moment, until the blue-haired teenager finally spoke. "Oi, Hikou?"

"Hai?"

"Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"What? About the nightmare?"

"No. About me crying into your shirt like that."

The older man chuckled. "Afraid Kouran might get jealous?"

That wasn't his reason, of course, but Houjun thought it would be better to lie and lighten the mood a little. "Yes. At this point, you've gotten more action with me than she has."

Hikou laughed. "Go to bed, little guy." The young man patted his friend with his left hand, wincing as he did. "Ite!" He pulled his palm away, glancing at the welts that laced across his skin and trying not to grimace. "Ch, that red light musta done this…" he grumbled out loud.

"Nani? Doshita no?"

Hikou glanced up, waving his uninjured hand at his friend. "Ah, nandemo nai [it's nothing]! I just… I tried to cook the other day and wound up burning my hand. That's what I get for messing with the stove I never used before. Don't worry about it, I'll be okay." Houjun grabbed his friend's hand before he could pull away, tracing the red marks with one finger. "Oi, Houjun-!"

"You didn't have these earlier today. I would have noticed something this bad." He looked up, mahogany eyes wide with surprise. "Did I do this?"

"No!" Hikou jerked his hand away, holding it gingerly in his other palm. He frowned; he couldn't lie to his companion forever. "Not on purpose, anyway." He could sense the question on Houjun's lips, and answered before it was asked. "It was while you were having that nightmare. I tried to wake you up, and you sorta flared with this red light…" he chuckled, putting his uninjured hand on his friend's head. "That ghost you got messing with your mind is a real bastard, isn't he?"

Houjun looked down. "I hurt you…" His fingers tightened around his bedsheets, gripping them in frustration and confusion. "What if that dream really is coming true…?"

"You didn't hurt me, Houjun. It's not like you knew you were doing it. Anyway, it's my own fault for messing with things I don't understand, so don't worry about it. Go to sleep. You've gotta be tired from today. Hell, _I'm beat, and I didn't even go through it."_

Houjun didn't have a chance to say anything else. Hikou rolled off the bed and down to the floor, throwing the blanket over his head and indicating that the conversation was over. The young man took a deep breath, laying back down in his own bed and looking up at the familiar ceiling. 

The one called Tasuki had said he didn't trust himself. Houjun closed his eyes, frowning and sighing. Well, whoever he was, that was one thing they had in common. Houjun had made his family worry, made his girlfriend fear for him, and hurt Hikou. He had envisioned two comrades he didn't know dying, and in his dreams had killed a skewed version of his best friend.

After a day like this, Houjun wondered if he could ever trust himself again. 

***

Tasuki wasn't the only bandit who was unable to sleep. Koji lay awake in bed that night, trying very, very hard not to think about the evening's events and just focus on going to sleep. Of course, the longer he tried _not to think about it, the more his mind wandered back to Hikaru's - unintended, surely - cold shoulder towards him and her warmth towards Tasuki._

_"Jaa ne, Mitsuragi-san.__ Jaa ne... Tasuki."_

She had called him "Tasuki." By his first name. With no suffix. Not one. Tasuki had probably had to ask her once. But he'd been trying to get her to call him "Koji" since she'd arrived, over a week ago, and all he'd ever gotten was a half-hearted smile and a quick "Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san." _Mitsuragi-san? He hadn't been called that by anyone since... ever!_

The Reikaku co-leader sighed, looking up at his darkened ceiling. _'I should stop thinking about this,' he thought to himself, rolling over onto his stomach and attempting to get comfortable. __'Whatever happened was obviously nothin'. Genrou didn't say a word about it once she left, an' he didn't even look like he was thinkin' about her. Nope, that woman is most definitely not on Genrou's list of interests. Still...'_

Why was he even thinking about Tasuki? It wasn't his bandit friend that had him lying awake at night; it was Hikaru, and everything about Hikaru that had made him fall so hopelessly in love with her. It was about his attempts at getting close to her - at least establishing a friendship - and about her friendly politeness but obvious disinterest. Maybe if she stopped drooling over Tasuki for two seconds she might notice that there was actually something worth liking in him!

"What's so great about Genrou, anyway...?" he grumbled aloud to himself.

Koji shook his head, flipping over to lay on his side. He had just done it again! Thinking about Tasuki, worrying about Tasuki, when his closest friend wasn't even the problem! "Genrou the woman-hater" was the _last person in the stronghold that Koji should be lying awake over, the last person on the planet that he should be worrying about. He showed no interest in Hikaru, and if he did Koji was certain that he would tell his best friend. And if that happened, well, Koji thought that he could be the bigger man, step down, and allow the two to live happily ever after._

_So why...?_

"Screw it," the co-leader grumbled to himself, sitting up and stepping onto the chilly wooden floor. He wasn't getting anywhere, just lying around in his bed and stewing over his own building emotions. 

_Emotions of what...?_

He needed to think. He needed to get out of the stronghold, and into some fresh air. Middle of winter or not, it was never unbearably cold in Konan, so taking a walk would do him much more good than harm. Maybe a midnight stroll around the mountain was just what he needed to settle himself down and figure out an answer to what was _really_ bothering him - Hikaru's coldness - instead of thinking about things that didn't matter - Tasuki's involvement.

_But didn't it matter...?_

The bandit stepped quietly over Genji, careful not to wake the young member, slipping into a pair of slippers rather than his usual boots. He pulled his coat on over his shirt and pants, then belted it to keep the long jacket in place. As an afterthought, Koji shoved one of his daggers into the leather strap around his waist and tucked a couple of throwing knives in as well. He rarely left his room without some kind of weapon - when you lived in a gang, you had to always be ready for a fight - and tonight was no exception.

Though, who would be crazy enough to be out in this weather, it was anyone's guess.

Koji slid the door of his room open quietly, then closed it with just as much caution and padded down the main Reikaku hallway. Keeping a hand against the wall to steer himself in the near pitch-black darkness, Koji navigated his way into the living quarters, then finally to the kitchen and out the back door. 

The bandit, one hand on his dagger, strolled quietly across the moonlit grounds of Reikaku's "backyard." Though he appeared relaxed on the outside, inwardly he was tensed and ready, just in case an enemy or a wild animal happened to try an attack. Koji realized with a chuckle that he'd been living much too long with bandits; even on a nice night like this, he couldn't completely let his guard down. "Somethin' about that is jus' sad..."

"No kidding. If I were an enemy your ass'd be pretty dead right now."

Koji jumped, whirling around with one hand poised on his dagger. His hazel eyes shot across the dim shadows of the nearby trees, searching for the speaker. "Who's there? C'mon, show yerself."

"Ch. You still half-asleep or something? I'm right here."

An emerald light sparked in the woods; a moment later, the younger of the two Asatenshi sisters stepped out of the foliage. The green glow seemed to emanate from her hand; Koji couldn't find any other source of power, anyway. The bandit relaxed visibly, letting his hand drop from his belt. "Oh, Shuu-san, it's only you. Fer a second I thought it mighta been one-a them Akutsuki bastards."

"Only me, eh? Don't I feel loved," Koji could never tell if she was being sincere or joking when she said things like that. Luckily, she didn't give him a chance to respond. "What are you doing out here?"

The bandit co-leader shrugged, leaning against a tree and watching as Shuu did the same to a nearby oak. "Couldn't sleep. I figgered I'd try t'get in a little walk, maybe sort some things out. How 'bout you?"

Asatenshi avoided his question. "Sort things out? Like what?"

"Jus' things, that's all..." Koji replied somewhat defensively, not sure if he should be offended by her blunt question or not. "You never answered my question. How come you ain't sleepin'?"

"That's my business, not yours."

"I told you why I was out here."

"That was your choice, not mine."

"This is a pretty shitty way t'start a conversation, y'know."

"You're the one who started it, not me."

Koji rubbed the back of his head, chuckling a little at the younger sister's evasion of his questions. "Guess I can't argue with that kinda logic." 

He frowned, rubbing his arm awkwardly. The Reikaku co-leader's thoughts turned back to the picture Shuu had drawn, the one of the tortured angel. He still had it in his room - he hid it in his clothing chest so no one else would find it - and had been thinking about giving it back to her, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. Not to mention he was a little afraid of the unpredictable Asatenshi, and never knew how to approach her. Ever since that day after she'd arrived, when she'd nearly spilled her guts to him, she'd been completely unreachable. 

Well, there was no time like the present to attempt to touch the untouchable sister. "So, Shuu-san..."

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" she said suddenly, harshly.

Koji jumped at the question, blinking in surprise. "Eh?"

"My sister. You're in love with Hikaru. I'm right, aren't I?"

The Reikaku co-leader's surprise quickly turned to defensive embarassment. Had it been that obvious? And even if it had, she didn't have to bring it up! "Maybe I am. So?"

"Give it up," Shuu remarked, sliding down the bark of the tree she'd been leaning against until she was sitting at its base. "I told you to stay away from us. And, anyway, she isn't your type."

"I think I c'n decide who my type is," the bandit said irritably. What right did Shuu have to tell him who he could and couldn't have feelings for? Hell, he wasn't even sure _he_ could consciously choose that!

Shuu kept her icy green glare away from Koji, eyes on the surrounding foliage. Her voice was completely flat, almost as if this conversation meant nothing to her. "Stubborn. You aren't _her _type, then."

Koji was trying very hard not to get sharp with the Asatenshi woman - harsh or not, he knew better than most that there was a lot of pain harbored in her heart that he didn't want to add to - but was finding it to be increasingly difficult. "Oh? And what _is_ Hikaru's type, eh Shuu-san?"

"Leaders," she answered shortly. "I don't know if she does it on purpose, but she's always gone nuts over the head of the company, the government official, the captain of the ship. Something about the position appeals to her, I guess. Maybe the command. Who knows?"

The bandit frowned. "Then what makes ya say I ain't her type, na? I'm a leader too y'know."

"Ahou's the leader," Shuu's words were blunt and emotionless, but for some reason Koji felt like she'd just hit him in the stomach. "You're the sidekick."

Koji's fists unintentionally bunched up at his sides. "So, yer tellin' me that if I was th' leader-a Mount Reikaku, then Hikaru woulda fallen fer me an' never given Genrou a second glance?"

"Who knows?" Asatenshi replied, successfully dodging the bandit co-leader's question. "Maybe Nee-san's feelings for Ahou are genuine, and she's not just blinded by the title 'Leader.' But she definitely would've given you more than a couple distracted, 'Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san's, I can guarantee that." Shuu paused thoughtfully, then let out a bark of laughter. "I don't know why the hell Ahou _is the leader, though. He is truly Ahou, and so weak, too."_

The bandit leader whirled on Shuu, immediately coming to his friend's defense. "Oi, don't say that kinda stuff about Genrou! Maybe he ain't the sharpest sword on th' mountain, but he's definitely th' best fighter an' one-a th' bravest people I know!"

Asatenshi shrugged, closing her eyes against the moonlight. "Whatever you say."

Koji leaned back against the tall sycamore, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning unhappily. It was unfair and rude of Shuu to say that kind of thing about anybody, no matter the person...

_Hikaru only liked leaders..._

But for her to so blatantly trash Tasuki like that, when she barely even knew him! That was just unacceptable! Maybe he wasn't perfect, and maybe he wasn't exactly a genius, but the bandit seishi was still Koji's closest friend and a damn good person! Shuu had no right!...

_He was just the sidekick..._

...And then to say he didn't have a chance with the other Asatenshi sister! Hah! Like she knew exactly how her sister's mind worked! It was a personality that won out when love was involved, and if Hikaru was just given a chance to see what kind of a person he was...

_But if he was the leader...___

Koji shook his head. What the hell was he _thinking_? Why had that thought snuck into his head? Hakurou had chosen Tasuki as the leader, the tessen had chosen Tasuki as the leader, hell, even _he _had chosen Tasuki as the leader. Koji had always been happy with his position, always been content to help out his best friend and guide from the shadows. One woman wasn't going to change something like that.

_And yet...___

The bandit jerked his head up as he heard the sound of a bow twanging softly. Koji's movements had been too slow; already an arrow was flying on a direct path for his head. There was no way he'd have time to react...

A blazing green wall materialized in front of the Reikaku co-leader, turning the arrow to splinters. Koji glanced over just in time to see Shuu dash to his side, emerald magic still crackling in her palm. She whirled, putting her back against his and shooting glances around the clearing. "Akutsuki," she hissed.

"Two of 'em," the bandit finished.

Asatenshi closed her eyes, clearing her mind and searching for the presence of the enemy archers. Koji's own hazel orbs scanned his side of the clearing, frantically darting among the foliage in search of some telltale sign of movement.

Shuu found the life force at the same time Koji detected a rustle in the bushes.

"There!"

"Gotcha!"

Emerald power shot from the woman's palm; a throwing knife whizzed out of the bandit's hand. There were two startled, gurgling screams, and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. Then silence.

"That's all of 'em," Shuu and Koji said simultaneously. The two blinked, then pulled away and looked at each other. The Reikaku co-leader chuckled slightly; even Asatenshi managed the hint of a grin.

"You're a decent fighter," she allowed.

"You ain't too bad yerself, Shuu-san."

The young woman took a breath, letting her green power sink back into her skin. "Those Akutsuki members obviously mean business. This must have been an assassination plan; if we hadn't been out here, they would've snuck in easily. Should we tell Ahou about this?"

"In th' mornin'. I don't wanna make him lose any more sleep'n he already has," Koji explained, relaxing now that the danger was past. "If there were any others, they're long gone. They won't be back, not t'night at least. I'll talk t'Genrou about gettin' th' boys t'take night watches."

"Fair enough," Shuu brushed a strand of raven-blue hair out of her eyes, turning towards the stronghold.

Koji stopped her, a quiet question on his lips. "Oi, Shuu-san... that green wall, that barrier thing... it was yers, wasn't it?" A small nod. The bandit blinked his hazel eyes in surprise. "You saved my life."

She didn't bother turning around as she shrugged. "Yeah, well, don't think you owe me anything."

Asatenshi once more took a couple of steps towards the main building, and once again Koji's confused voice stopped her. "Shuu-san... you _saved my life."_

"And?"

"I... I guess I don't understand. You always act like you hate everyone in the stronghold, even your sister. So... why would you do something like that?"

"Does it surprise you that someone would be willing to help you?" Koji jerked back at that statement, not completely sure how to answer that. Shuu glanced over her shoulder at him, and spoke before he had a chance to reply. Her green eyes met his sharply across the clearing, but for some reason the bandit thought they didn't look as fierce and protective tonight. "Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I like you or anything. There's just no reason for you to die yet."

"Eh? Shuu-san, matte-"

With a swish of her hair, the Asatenshi woman turned her face away from him once more. "Don't forget your throwing knife. And remember what I said. Stay away from Hikaru. Stay away from both of us. You'll just get hurt if you don't."

Before Koji could say another word, Shuu waved a hand and was gone, leaving behind nothing more than a thin dust of emerald magic. The bandit co-leader scowled, stomping unhappily back to the stronghold and wondering what the hell was wrong with that woman. How was it that she could do something wonderful one minute, and then say something so unfeeling the next? He would never understand her, or her sister...

Her sister. Hikaru. And here he was, back to where he had begun, with no solution to the problems of his mind and no answers to the demands of his heart.

Except one. There was one answer, one answer that was so ridiculous, so desperate and harsh and unbelievable, that Koji brushed it aside with hardly a second thought.

And yet, he couldn't stop it from flitting through his mind, couldn't stop it from lodging itself into the far recesses of his brain to taunt and tempt him. Though he didn't know it at the time, that one, passing idea would cause he and his best friend unimaginable misery in the future; a future that was hazy for both and doomed for one.

_If he_ was the leader...____

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: August 30, 2003; 12: 00 P.M._

Hao, minna-san!  
A day late on the verse update, my apologies. School and work caught up with me, not that that's any excuse but it's the best I can do for now. I'll try to make the chapter notes brief: I have a few important things I want to cover but I want to make it through them quickly (no one really wants to hear me yammer on, I'm sure).

**Dialogue Credit** ('Cause I prefer not to get sued!)  
-Hikou's line of, "You're not the 'going crazy' type" is from a one-act play called, "Louder, I Can't Hear You!" We performed it at my school last year and the line stuck with me.  
-Tasuki's mantra: "Keep going. Move ahead. Live" is not exactly like anything, but the general outline was "borrowed" from "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," by Stephen R. Donaldson. Not the same, but similar.

**Random Chapter Comments** I'm probably going to get some remarks on the Ancient China school system, and I'm going to be unable to answer them because I had no time nor idea as to where to find the information on ancient chinese learning facilities. So, I did what I could. Gomen nasai to the history buffs out there, and if you have any suggestions for how I should change this, please let me know!  
Oh, yes, and the "kakyo," is the government test that Chiriko said he was taking in episode... ah, something. The one where Amiboshi "died." Yeah. Sounds pretty tough, huh? Oh, and for those of you who have watched "Gravitation:" yes, I named the assistant doctor "Shindou Eiri" on purpose. Heh, I couldn't resist...  
And yes, I know, I promised myself that I'd try to make my chapters shorter in this fanfic, and here I come with a monster of a verse! This is probably the longest verse in the Movement, though - after this they taper down to about ten pages per chapter. Bah, I'm rambling.

_Question of the Week:_ How is it that animé characters can cry so gracefully? Don't their eyes ever get red and puffy?

**Verse Preview** A Koji-centric verse is on its way, which of course makes this author very happy. And things get better for Houjun, for a while... though, by the end of the next chapter, they're only certain to get worse...

Run For Your Lives! It's the:  
Dee ~_^ 


	10. Verse Eight: Another Day

FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu

_Pointless Author's Note: Oh dear, I invented yet ANOTHER chibi word! First it's "chibily," now it's "chibiest"... I may as well just start Chibi Dee's Chibi Dictionary on Chibi Chibiness... *sweatdrop*_

Random Otaku Note: Woohoo! Koji chapters are the best, te kanjii! And speaking of "te kanjii," does anyone else hear Yamaguchi Kappei-san when they picture Genji-kun speaking? (his Ryuichi voice, not his Inuyasha voice, of course) 'Cause I always do...

**Verse Eight: Another Day**

"This feeling I can't ignore,  
This mysterious feeling  
It's like our future's a labyrinth, isn't it?  
Grasping my dreams tightly  
I won't ever give up on myself"  
~Kumai Motoko; "Ki Ni Naru Aitsu" (I Can't Ignore Her)~

Koji had always loved mornings. There was something about the crisp coolness of the air, the gentle rays of dawn that cast their blanket of light across the landscape, and the sound of the birds as they took up their daily songs that just gave the co-leader a feeling of peace and solitude. None of the other bandits were ever awake this early - except Genji, for his cooking duties - which gave Koji plenty of time to be by himself, something he rarely got in the lively gang. 

The bandit stood in the stronghold's "backyard," within the circle of Reikaku's "Greenhorn's Hell," as it had been jokingly dubbed by someone years ago. In truth, it was just a sparring ring that one of the older gangs had set up, used mainly to sharpen fighting skills, but it had gained the reputation of being the place where new members first learned what it meant to be a Reikaku bandit. Koji smiled, remembering his own experiences as a young member in the infamous circle.

_"Kuso!"_

_Another bandit's sword went clattering across the ring, gathering a cloud of dust as it went. His opponent smiled slightly, but it wasn't a cocky smile; just a friendly one. "Not bad, Yumeji. You've gotten a lot better. Work a little on that uppercut an' you'll be able to beat me in no time."_

_The one called Yumeji rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, right. Like any of us'd ever beat you, Hakurou-san. Thanks fer th' advice, though." _

_He glanced over to where his sword had landed, right at the feet of another young member. The smallest of the bandits picked the sword up with little effort, holding it hilt-first in Yumeji's direction. "Oh, what've you got there, Koji-kun? It's your sword, Yumeji-senpai! I grabbed it for ya. Ah, how thoughtful of ya, Koji-kun! A-ri-ga-tou!"_

_Yumeji chuckled, taking the blunted blade from the young bandit. "You still talkin' t'yerself, eh? We're gonna have ta break ya of that habit, otherwise th' women'll think yer crazy an' ya'll never get a girlfriend."_

_Koji blushed as the other bandits chuckled. Hakurou glanced somewhat sternly in his direction, but it was hard for the Reikaku leader not to smile a little. "Oi, Koji-kun, I thought ya were still doin' dish duty? Don't think that jus' 'cause yer little I'll let ya skirt yer duties."_

_"I finished, Leader! Oh, did you? Well, I'm glad t'see such a hard-worker. Yer gonna make a helluva a bandit, Koji-kun. A-ri-ga-tou..."_

_"Finished?" Hakurou raised a somewhat disbelieving eyebrow. "Well, all right... then ya'd better get started on th' other chores. Reikaku won't clean itself, after all, and you are__ the youngest."_

_Koji's smile dropped immediately, but he didn't dare argue with his mentor and idol. "H-hai, Leader..."_

_"Aw, c'mon, Hakurou-san, let 'im stay fer a while, na?"_

_"It won't hurt nothin', an' he ain't been around fer any-a yer ass-whoopin' shows!"_

_"Oi! Let's let th' kid have a go at Hakurou-san! He c'n hold his own aginst most of us in trainin'; let's see how he fares aginst th' leader! How 'bout it!?"_

_Koji blinked wide, hazel eyes as Yumeji shoved him into the ring, grinning encouragingly at the young bandit. "C'mon, Koji-kun. Show Leader whatcha got. Maybe he'll lighten yer load-a chores if ya do, na?"_

_Hakurou flashed a small, amused smile in Koji's direction. He shrugged, admitting his defeat. "I'm out-voted. Go on, Koji-kun, pick a weapon an' let's see how ya fare yer first time in Greenhorn's Hell."_

_The boy clenched his fists; finally, a chance to really prove himself to the leader! "H-hai, Hakurou-senpai!"_

_Koji jogged towards the sidelines, where a series of blunted weapons lay ready for anyone who needed them. The young bandit's eyes skimmed right across the swords and rapiers; being as small as he was, he had never really had a use for the longer weapons. Where were they, where were they?... Ha! _

_The dark-haired youth grabbed a pair of daggers, letting their blades reflect the afternoon sunlight. He held them lightly in his hands, grinning; the perfect weight. "Yoshi [Okay]!" Koji turned, walking back into the ring and gripping the weapons. "Ready, Leader?"_

_Hakurou continued to smile, though now it seemed more curious than amused. He nodded, crouching into a fighting position. "Show me whatcha got, Koji-kun."_

_The young bandit didn't wait to size up his opponent; too eager to prove his worth, Koji threw his heart into the battle and attacked._

_Hakurou blocked his first swipe easily, but the teenager was expecting that. He backed up a step or two, then stabbed with one dagger while holding off the swordswipes with the other. Koji was too busy concentrating to hear the other bandits murmur in alarm as Hakurou took a small step back._

_The bandit leader was no longer smiling. His serene eyes glittered with the light of a fighter; as he stepped back, he whirled his sword to the side, allowing Koji a perfect opening. The youth, not even thinking about what the leader might be doing, plunged his daggers forward. All you had to do was make skin contact or disarm your opponent for the battle to be over..._

Clang!

_Hakurou's sword flew out of nowhere, sending one of Koji's daggers out of his hand. The young bandit winced at the shockwaves that went through his right fingers, but before he could worry about that Hakurou's weapon was up for another strike._

_Koji dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way, for the first time in his life thanking his size as the blade whirred a hairs-breadth from his head. He jumped up, hopping back several paces and watching Hakurou carefully, waiting for the right moment. The bandit shook out his right hand, trying to get the feeling back into it. He switched his remaining dagger out of his left hand, hoping that it would be of better use in his strong arm._

_Opening, opening, there had to be an opening... there! Hakurou left his side unguarded, just slightly! Koji plunged inward, realizing too late that the leader had purposely__ allowed the spot to be open. Hakurou's sword whizzed past him once again, whacking at his already numbed right hand and sending the second dagger flying._

_Koji leaped back and managed to grab the weapon before it hit the ground, but as soon as he turned he found a sword-point at his throat. Game over._

_Hakurou lowered his sword. The young bandit dropped his other dagger, realizing he had been beaten. Koji clenched his fists in frustration at his sides; Hakurou had beaten him in five moves! Five! And here he had wanted to prove himself! As the cheering grew in volume, the boy felt hot tears in the corners of his eyes..._

_Wait. Cheering?_

_Koji looked up, blinking his hazel orbs as he realized the other Reikaku bandits were clapping wildly for their young friend. "N-nani?" He felt a hand on his shoulder; the youth looked up to find himself staring into Hakurou's serene eyes. "Leader..."_

_"Not bad, Koji-kun," the leader said with a smile. "Maybe I misjudged ya a bit."_

_"Huh?" the dark-haired youth felt like he couldn't stop blinking in surprise. "But I... I didn't... you beat me so easily..."_

_Yumeji melded out of the crowd, slapping Koji hard on the back. "What're ya talkin' about!? No beginner around here's ever_ lasted that long against th' boss! Haha, buncha th' boys figgered you'd be gone in one strike, but I told 'em you'd last at least four! Always knew ya had it in ya, kid!"__

_The bandit grinned widely. He looked back at Hakurou, pointing at himself in disbelief. "Hontou da? I did good?"_

_"Ya don't think enough in battle. That's why ya fell fer those fakes," the leader of the Reikaku bandits explained gruffly. "But yer a lot quicker on yer feet'n a lotta guys around here, an' ya've got good instincts." He chuckled. "Yeah, Koji-kun, ya did good."_

_Yumeji laughed, putting a comforting hand on the yound bandit's shoulder. "Hah, what'd I tell ya? This boy's got a lot goin' fer him, jus' like I always said! Heheh, wouldja b'lieve he's only been practicin' with those things fer a few months? Oi, Naruto, getcher ass over here an' pay me already! I won th' bet fair 'n' square; Koji-kun lasted fer longer'n two hits! C'mon boys, no pushin', there'll be plenty-a time t'get th' prodigy's autograph..." _

Koji couldn't help but chuckle, thinking about Hakurou, his mentor, Yumeji, his "aniki," and all the other bandits from his younger years at Reikaku. His first year on the mountain, back when he'd been a skinny orphan trying to find his place in life. Back when he had surprised everyone, including himself, with his talents and resourcefulness. Back when Yumeji had constantly joked about "Koji-kun the Future Boss," and even the kind, yet aloof, Hakurou had watched him with interest. 

Back before anyone had even heard of Genrou.

The bandit co-leader slashed at the air with his pair of daggers, starting on a morning exercise he had developed years ago. It was a nice way to warm up, wake yourself up, and just think a little bit. Today, thinking was definitely at the top of the list. 

It had been almost a week since the sleepless night when he had encountered Shuu in the woods, and during all that time the thoughts of their conversation had never completely erased themselves from his mind. Though Koji didn't think the youngest Asatenshi sister had meant to, her words of discouragement had only made the bandit more determined to strike up a relationship with Hikaru. Maybe he wanted to prove to Shuu that, leader or not, he had just as much of a chance with the pretty Asatenshi woman as anybody. Maybe he wanted to prove it to himself. 

Koji's daggerswipe had a harsher edge to it as he went into the second phase of his exercises. He frowned slightly, letting his body move automatically while his mind was miles away. Prove? When had _that_ become his goal? He didn't want to _prove _anything, he reminded himself harshly. All he wanted to do was get Hikaru to feel for him the same way he felt for her. There was no crime in that, was there? Was it _wrong of him to be in love? Hell, like he could even control that!_

But, somehow...

"Koji-samaaaaaa!" a young, wailing bandit voice broke through his concentration. 

Koji turned chibi and nearly fell over, snapping back to reality with a start. He whirled, not at all surprised to see Genji staring at him across the ring with big, watering eyes. "G-Genji-kun, don't sneak up on me like that again!"

"Gomen nasai, Koji-sama!" he called, lower lip quivering. "But I have two somethings to talk to you about that are very very very very very important, te kanjii!"

The bandit grinned slightly in the boy's direction. Despite his overenthusiasm and somewhat disturbing speech habits, Koji had to admit he had a soft spot for Genji. In some ways, he reminded himself of a younger him. Maybe not in the cooking, or the hero-worshipping, certainly, but he was so eager to please, so eager to show the leaders - his mentors and idols - what he could do. He was talented with a blade, and was surprisingly quick on his feet, not to mention his size was reminiscent of Koji's own lean-nearing-thin teenage years. Maybe, if things worked out with Hikaru, he'd take a little retirement, and...

"_Koji-samaaaaa, did you hear me!?"_

"I heard ya, I heard ya!" Koji dropped his arms to his sides, unable to stop the chuckle from escaping his lips. "All right. What's 'very very very very very' important, Genji-kun?"

"Just two little things, Koji-sama!" the bandit answered with a cheerful smile. "The first thing is that I was making breakfast and I wanted to know what you wanted!"

"That was very important?" the bandit sweatdropped. "Eh, those strawberry rice cakes of yers'll be fine. What else?"

Genji's smile dropped and was quickly replaced by a sad, almost betrayed frown. He clenched his fists sadly, purple eyes quivering with the threat of tears. "How could you, Koji-sama...?"

"Eh? How could I what?"

The chibi youth's lower lip quivered. "You promised me... you promised me, Koji-sama..." he put an arm across his eyes, two fountains of tears spouting from his tearducts. "You promised that whenever you did your morning exercises you'd tell me so I could watch and learn knife-throwing from the master, te kanjiiii!"

Koji face-vaulted. "_That was important!?"_

"It was to me but I guess it wasn't to you I guess I don't mean anything around here I really am totally worthless you're so cruel Koji-samaaaaaaaaaa!"

The bandit gritted his teeth. "Okay okay okay! I'm sorry, Genji-kun, I really am! It was early, an' with those Akutsuki bastards always givin' us hell I guess it slipped my mind. Gomen, gomen! If ya wanna stay out here an' watch th' rest-a th' routine, yer welcome to. I ain't gotten t'the knife-throwin' part, anyway."

Genji's tears immediately dried up as he smiled his chibiest. "Arigatou, Koji-sama! I'll just go get the food ready and then I'll be right back out, te kanjii!"

Koji chuckled as the bandit leaped back into the stronghold, shaking his head slightly at Genji's behavior. He was unique, that was for sure...

Knowing that Genji was more interested in the sword - Tasuki's weapon of choice - than in daggers, Koji started back up on his routine. The young bandit would easily make it out to see the second part of the co-leader's warm-up, and while he was waiting he could finish up the first part.

Koji closed his eyes again, pivoting on his foot and arcing the blades above his head. As he slipped back into the fifteen-year old routine - gods, had it been that long? - the bandit allowed his mind to wander again. Deciding that he wasn't in the mood to think of Hikaru - well, not necessarily Hikaru (Koji always loved thinking about her), but about the problems that came with her - the bandit turned his thoughts to the week's happenings. Suzaku knew there had been a lot going on around Reikaku.

The Akutsuki clan had been attacking almost regularly, making small hit-and-run attempts on the stronghold. A few bandits were always on the alert, but somehow the rival gang managed to slip past them everytime. It was almost like they knew where the patrols would be when they attacked...

But that was impossible. The watches were switched up regularly, and the schedules were always changed to throw even the most observant of spies off. Koji, the resident expert in campaigning, had made doubly sure of that. The bandit frowned thoughtfully. _'The most observant of spies...?'_

No. That was ridiculous. No way were there traitors in Reikaku! Koji opened his eyes again, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes and tucking his daggers back into his belt. He pulled out two of his throwing knives, heading over to the makeshift targets. His frown deepened slightly as he tossed one of the knives carefully at the target, getting warmed up before he tried anything tricky.

Still, it would be stupid of him to rule _anything_ out, he reminded himself. He would have to keep a close eye on the other bandits, just to make sure none of them were doing things they shouldn't be. Still, it seemed awfully unlikely that one of Reikaku's own would...

_One of Reikaku's own...?_

The image of the young Asatenshi woman appearing out of the woods flashed through Koji's mind. She had avoided his queries on why she was out at night. In fact, any time he tried to bring that night up she changed the subject or walked off. It was suspicious behavior for anyone, especially a newcomer.

But she had also saved his life. He couldn't forget that. No traitor would save the life of a Reikaku enemy, especially a co-leader. 

Unless that was part of the plan...?

Koji shook his head fiercely. These Akutsuki guys were making him paranoid! He had no legitimate reason for suspecting _anyone_ on the mountain. Besides, if he thought Shuu was an enemy, than it was perfectly likely that she and Hikaru would be working together. And the thought of Hikaru as an Akutsuki spy was one he absolutely would not believe.

_'Ach. Stop thinking so much. It's too early,' he chided himself, chuckling as he focused all of his attention on his throwing knives. __'Gonna give yerself grey hairs if ya keep those thoughts up...'_

The bandit leader tensed suddenly, ending his exercise with a series of quick moves. He rolled away from an invisible enemy, sighting the target while on the ground and whizzing one of his knives in its direction. _Swish! Thunk! _Right into the center. Koji hopped up quickly, found the remaining weapon that was still hidden in his shirt, grabbed it, and tossed it out all in one fluid motion. 

_Whump! Koji couldn't help but smile, just barely. The knife had lodged itself firmly into a barely noticeable blade of dead grass that had managed to push its way up in the dirt-packed ring. The stalk couldn't have been bigger around than a worm; probably less. The bandit chuckled, going over and pulling the weapon out of the ground. "Just where I was aimin'. Heh, guess I still got it..."_

Someone - or, rather, two someones - began clapping behind him. Koji turned, rubbing the back of his head and expecting to see Genji and one of the other bandits... and nearly fell over in surprise.

Hikaru sat on a log next to the young bandit, clapping her delicate hands appreciatively. The Asatenshi sister was all smiles. "Sugoi! Totemo sugoi, Mitsuragi-san!"

Koji turned a shade of red, grinning at the young woman and taking a little bow. "Arigatou, Hikaru-san. Heh, if I'd known I had an audience I'd-a put on a more interestin' show."

"Interesting? Goodness, and that wasn't?" Hikaru clapped her hands together under her chin. "I could practice with knives for the rest of my life and never get that good! You're a skilled fighter, Mitsuragi-san, and extremely talented too!"

"Well, arigatou again, Hikaru-san," the bandit responded, blushing still brighter. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. An' really, you c'n jus' call me Koji."

"_Enjoy it!? How could she _not!?_" Genji gushed happily, small hearts popping up around his head. "That technique... that flair... that skill... that grace... Koji-sama is absolutely the most amazing knife-thrower in the entire universe, te kanjii!"_

Koji sweatdropped. "Eh... thanks, Genji-kun." The bandit decided that now would definitely be a good time for he and Hikaru to have some time alone for once. "Oi, how's breakfast comin', na? Rice cakes sound pretty good right now..."

"_Ah!" the youth jumped up, bowing to the older member. "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai! I got so busy watching I forgot all about breakfast! I'll go get everything set up and ready so it tastes absolutely perfect for you, Koji-sama!"_

Hikaru watched the young bandit leave, sweatdropping slightly. "He's certainly energetic."

"No kiddin'," Koji said with a chuckle, walking up next to the Asatenshi woman and taking a seat on the log. "So, Hikaru-san, may I ask what yer doin' up so early?"__

"Oh!" Hikaru frowned a little. "Well, actually, I was looking for Tasuki, but I suppose he's still sleeping. I needed to talk to him about Chichiri's condition..."

Koji felt his heart drop. She had been looking for Tasuki. Of course. "Oh," the bandit said flatly. "He ain't usually up this early. What's wrong with Chichiri?"

"Wrong? Well, nothing," she admitted. "I just wanted to let Tasuki know that I think that my spell will probably begin to reach him today. With luck, he'll start to remember the real world better."

"Genrou'll be happy t'hear that." Koji realized that Hikaru was biting her lip. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Well, no... and yes," she admitted. The young woman frowned harder, staring into the trees as if searching for an answer to her problems among the branches. "I'm breaking through, as I knew I would, but... someone is using deflective magic."

"Deflective...?"

"It's like they have a net around his closed universe," she explained. "My spell can get through, but once this 'net' filters everything, my own magic is extremely weak. It's making it harder and harder for me to help him..."

Koji came to the same conclusion he knew the sister must have. "Someone's blockin' ya. They don't want ya t'reach Chichiri. Am I right?"

Hikaru nodded. "Someone wants to _keep_ him there. It must be the same person who Trapped him to begin with... if I could only figure out who it was..." she chewed on her lip unhappily, emerald eyes shimmering with the threat of tears. "Chichiri... I don't want to fail you, not now..."

The bandit co-leader shifted, not completely sure what to do. He understood how much Hikaru cared about Chichiri - he was like an older brother to her, after all - and didn't know what he could do to help her. Gods, he wasn't even sure how to help _Genrou..._

Koji put a hesitant hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "Oi... oi, Hikaru-san. C'mon, don't cry, all right? Chichiri knows how much ya care about him. How much Genrou, 'n' me too, I guess, care about him. Even if someone is tryin' t'block ya, I know that kind of emotion c'd never be lost _or_ forgotten. You'll reach him, if not with yer power than with yer heart, an' I _know he'll feel an' remember that. Chichiri's tough, like I told ya b'fore. He'll pull through."_

Hikaru looked up, smiling gently at the bandit. "Arigatou, Mitsuragi-san," she said quietly. "You've been very kind to my sister and me since we arrived. You even stood up for us, when we had every right to be your first suspects after Chichiri was Trapped. I truly appreciate that."

"It's nothin', Hikaru-san. An' please, call me Koji." The bandit tugged at his collar with his free hand, clearing his throat. He blushed slightly, looking down and frowning in embarassment. "Actually, Hikaru-san... I wanted t'tell ya..."

The young woman didn't seem to hear him. She stood, brushing off her skirts and turning towards the bandit co-leader. She was smiling again, just as happy and gentle as always. "Goodness, it's only sunrise and I'm already getting all depressed. I really need to cheer up." Hikaru held out a hand, offering the bandit some help up. "Let's go see if we can get a taste of Genji-kun's meal before anyone else does, okay?"

Koji grinned. Even if he hadn't been able to say it, at least Hikaru was finally showing an interest in him. He accepted her offered hand. "Sounds like a good idea. I'm starved."

Bandit and Asatenshi sister made their way down one of Reikaku's halls, on a roundabout route for the kitchens. Koji was surprised at how easy it was for him to talk to the woman he had so hopelessly fallen in love with; she was such an interesting person that there always seemed to be something to say.

"So, how long have you been working on that routine, hm?" Hikaru wondered, blue skirts swishing behind her as she walked quickly to keep up with the long-legged bandit. "To be that good must have taken a lot of work, I'm sure!"

Koji intentionally slowed down so Hikaru wouldn't have to walk so fast to keep his pace. "Well, lessee..." he ticked off the years on his fingers, looking up as if searching the ceiling for his memory. "I came t'the stronghold when I was... then Genrou joined... so it woulda been..." he looked back in her direction. "Musta pieced it t'gether when I was nineteen, I guess! 'Course, it was a lot messier back then..."

"Nineteen? Goodness, I didn't realize you had been at the stronghold for so long!"

"Sure have! I'm th' oldest member on th' mountain, come t'think of it. Genrou joined about a year after I did, so he takes a close second, but I'm still in th' lead. Yep, this place is definitely my home sweet home." Koji glared at her, scowling in mock irritation. "An' how old d'ya think I am, anyway? Yeesh, don't make it sound like I've been here fer half a century 'r somethin'!"

Hikaru smothered a giggle into her sleeve. "Sumimasen." She paused thoughtfully, then blushed a little. "So, Mitsuragi-san and Tasuki have been friends for a very long time, deshou?"

"Fifteen years, give 'r take. Been fightin', trainin' an' drinkin' t'gether fer about that long, too, heheh."

"In that case, Tasuki must be a very good battler as well."

"Sure is. He learned from th' same master I did, after all."

She smiled a little. "It would certainly be entertaining to see which of you would come out on top in battle. I have never seen Tasuki fight, but I'm sure it would be quite an event."

Koji chuckled. "A buncha the boys're always tryin' t'get us t'have a little competition over th' summer, but Genrou 'n' I ain't big inta that kinda thing. It ain't all about beatin' one another with us. We prefer t'work t'gether, me with my strengths an' him with his. Know what I mean?"

"Nevertheless, it would be a very interesting battle. I wonder who would win?"

Koji but a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "That's hard t'say. In a fistfight, Genrou'd prob'ly have th' upper hand 'cause he a little stronger'n me, an' a whole lot faster. In a swordfight, though, we're probably evenly matched. I c'd fend off his seishi speed if I've got a weapon better'n I can without one. But as far as long-distance goes," he chuckled and jerked a thumb at himself, "even Genrou'd have ta agree that I win th' prize in that category. Ain't been a bandit on the mountain who could best me in an archery, knife 'r dart competition." Koji paused again, then smiled slightly. "I might win. I've got one major advantage. I know Genrou's weakness."

"His weakness?"

"Sure. Every fighter's got a weakness. I do, Genrou does, Chichiri and Shuu-san prob'ly do too. Everyone's gotta have somethin' they're bad at. That's what makes us human. The old leader, Hakurou, taught me that."

"He must have been a very wise man."

Koji frowned slightly; even though many years had gone by, he still missed the long-dead leader's poise, bravery, and leadership skills. Hakurou had said that he and Tasuki would surpass him, but the co-leader still thought he had a long way to go. "Yeah. He was."

"I'm sure he would be very proud of you and Tasuki."

"I like t'think so," Koji turned, smiling in Hikaru's direction and waving a hand. "Hey, now I'm th' one gettin' all depressed! I'm sure that wherever Hakurou is he'd be pissed if he saw me gettin' all mopy about this after so long. We better change th' subject t'somethin' cheerier."

"Hai!" Hikaru blushed again, just slightly, and looked away from the bandit. "Mitsuragi-san-"

"Hey, c'mon, what've I told ya already? Call me Koji."

"Very well, Koji-san." Those words were like music to the co-leader's lovestruck ears. "I was wondering... do you suppose-"

But whatever Hikaru was wondering would continue to remain unsaid, for the moment anyway. The new bandit Ken turned a corner sharply, running straight into the pair before they knew what hit them. There was a large puff of dust, then three chibi forms found themselves lying on the ground in a heap.

Koji winced, rubbing at a quickly-forming lump on his forehead. He looked up, blinking wide eyes. "Ah. Ken-kun. What're you doin' up so early?"

The newcomer had one hand over his eye, where he had whacked it against the co-leader's skull. "Itetete..." he looked up, visible eye widening. "Ah! Koji!" Ken hopped to his feet, pointing back the direction he had come. "Came - ran - need you! Quickly - kitchens - important..."

"In th' kitchens? What th' hell's wrong in th' kitchens?"

"It's Genji-kun," Ken said quickly, tugging urgently on the co-leader's sleeve. His eyes read real concern, and something nearing panic. "Something's happened. He's hurt. Hayaku!" 

***

The young Ri sister tiptoed quietly out of the kitchen and down the hall to her brother's room. She poked her head around the door, smiling at Houjun's sleeping face. Kyoui walked across the room, careful not to squeak any floorboards. The young girl leaned down next to her brother, put her mouth close to his ear, and gently brought him out of slumber:

"OHAYOOOOOOOOOU!"

"Daaaaaaaa!" A chibi Houjun jumped out of bed, flying so high that he hit the roof. Literally. "Itai..."

Kyoui glanced up at her brother - who was now stuck to the ceiling - with big eyes. "O... onii-chan?" The little girl rubbed the back of her head, giggling nervously. "Oops, heheh. I guess I overdid it a little."

"That's an understatement," he muttered from his plastered spot.

"Gomen, Onii-chan!" Kyoui said cheerfully, standing on the bed so she could unpeel him from the ceiling. "But Okaa-san said that since it's been a week since you were sick, Ryuichi-sensei won't accept any excuses for you missing or being late for class. I didn't want you to get in trouble, so I had to get you up somehow."

"Ever heard of a gentle shake and a whispered, 'Time for school'?" he asked, feigning irritability as he threw on a faded blue robe.

"Nope, never!" she said with a grin, hopping off his bed and heading towards the door.

Houjun glanced over his shoulder at the young girl. "Hm? Leaving so soon? That's unusual."****

"I gotta run!" Kyoui explained. "Now that Otoo-san's back, I have to tell him everything that happened to me the last couple of weeks! I don't have much time, either, so I gotta talk fast! See you in the kitchen!"****

"Hai, hai..." Houjun said, smiling at the thought of his father being back home. The older man had arrrived late yesterday evening, so no one had had much of a chance to speak with him, but already the house felt happier, more complete. Houjun always liked it better when his father was nearby, even if Ri Shinsei _was a bit stricter than his wife. _

The young man tied a thin sash around his waist, glancing out the window and swearing in surprise. "Shimatta! It has to be almost seven-thirty! If I don't hurry..." he snatched his slippers from the floor by his bed, then turned and ran out the door of his room.

Houjun jumped into his shoes as he hopped down the hallway, rounding a corner and entering the kitchen. "Ohayou!" he said hurriedly, grabbing his schoolbooks and heading straight for the door.

"Ain't you gonna stay for breakfast?" Mitsuru wondered, blinking in surprise at his brother's quick entrance and equally quick exit.

"It's my first morning back," his father, Shinsei, remarked with a small smile. "Not even going to share it with me?"

"Gomen Otoo-san, but I don't have time! I'll be late if I stick around here much longer!" Houjun called back, snatching a rice cake from the kitchen counter and impatiently letting his mother brush her lips against his cheek. Once that was finished, he turned on his heel and darted out the door, one hand raised in a farewell wave. "Itekimasu!"

Yukari smiled slightly at the spot where her son had been, folding her arms across her chest. "It's good to see him acting like his normal self. After that incident last week I thought something might be seriously wrong with him, but I guess it was nothing after all."

"Incident?" Shinsei looked up, one eyebrow raised in a question. "Did something happen to Houjun?"

The three other family members smiled nervously. Yukari rubbed the back of her head. "That's, ah, sort of a long story..."

Houjun raced down the street, bag thumping against his back as he dashed for Hikou's house. Even though today was his friend's day to work in the market, Houjun still liked to walk with him as far as possible. The young man slowed down to a jog as he got closer to Hikou's home, sighing happily as he watched the sun clear the horizon. _'What a beautiful day,' he thought with a smile. _'Kyokujitsu Village certainly lives up to its name...'__

The day was all the better for Houjun, who could safely say that it had been exactly one week since the terrible headaches and visions he had experienced. All week he felt like he had been walking on a tightrope hundreds of feet above the ground: cringing constantly, staggering against vertigo, and terrified of falling off. Part of him was actually expecting the attacks, waiting for the right words, the right circumstances, to trigger his Hell into returning.

But nothing had happened. Somehow, he had survived a week with no visions, no headaches, and only the occasional unusual - yet pleasant - dream. As far as Houjun was concerned, a week was a long enough time to declare yourself one-hundred percent healed, and to finally brush off the horrid events as nothing serious. Hikou and Kouran seemed to have forgotten all about it; and now, finally he could as well. The teenager almost felt like leaping into the air, it was a such a great feeling, like a weight had been lifted off his back.

"Houjun, you airhead! What're you doing, strolling along with that silly grin on your face!? We'll both be late if you don't hurry!"

Hikou's voice, full of feigned impatience, snapped Houjun out of his happy, private thoughts. The young man glanced up, waving to his friend as he picked up his speed. The two friends fell into step with one another, Hikou shooting his companion an accusing glare. "You look pleased. What's to be so excited about this early in the morning? You and Kouran have your first last night or something?"

Houjun popped him lightly over the head. "Unlike some people, _I'm_ not a walking sex fiend."

"What? Me, a sex fiend? C'mon, I'm the gentlest, purest person in our entire grade! The very _image of proper behavior, if you will. Hah, I'm _so_ pure, I may just join a monastery and swear off women for good."_

"Yeah, and I'll join you," Houjun said sarcastically. He pointed a finger accusingly at his friend. "You're the pervert who dared me to pull up Hajimoto's skirt in eighth grade."

"Yeah, well you're the pervert who followed through on the dare."

"It was either that or do your homework for a month."

"Oh please, you were lovin' every minute of it - right up until she slapped you, that is!"

"Yeah, but after I told her that you made me do it, she apologized and then slapped _you harder!"_

"So? Compared to you, I'm a saint!"

"Compared to you, I'm an _angel!"_

"And compared to the both of you, I'm the most honest person in Konan."

Hikou and Houjun jumped, whirling to face the third member of their party. "Kouran!? When'd you-!?"

Their female counterpart sweatdropped, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "You _are standing in front of my house, you know. Goodness, when the two of you start arguing it's like the rest of the world disappears. I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" Kouran raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. "So, what was the fight about this time, hm? Saints and angels... I'm almost afraid to ask."_

Hikou grinned. "Oh, we were just talking about that one time when Houjun-" his friend tackled him to the ground, clapping a hand tightly over his mouth.

"When Houjun what?" Kouran wondered, blinking at the pair of chibi young men.

"When he-"

"Nothing, nothing!" Houjun insisted, wrestling with his best friend. He managed to get close enough to hiss in his ear. "Kouran doesn't _know_ about that: she wasn't there that day, remember?"

The young woman nodded knowingly. "Is this about that time you lifted Airi-chan's skirt?"

"WHA!?" Houjun looked up, mouth agape. "How did you know about that?" 

"Did you think the two of you were my only friends? Airi-chan and I have known each other since grade school; she told me all about it." Kouran giggled at her friend's open-mouthed expression, patting his head comfortingly. "Daijoubu, Houjun. I still love you, even if you are an incurable pervert."

"It was Hikou's fault!"

"Whatever you say..."

"It really was!"

"You just keep tellin' yourself that, little guy."

"Sukoshi ja nai yo!" 

***

"It's Genji-kun. He's hurt. Hayaku!"

"Genji-kun!?" Koji's eyes widened in surprise. He started down the hallway at a sprint, jerking his head back long enough to call. "Ikize [Let's go], Ken-kun, Hikaru-san!" The two followed shortly.

The Reikaku co-leader skidded around a corner, taking the most direct route possible to the kitchen area. His mind raced with worries, questions about Genji and possible injuries that he could have obtained. Had there been a fire? A cooking accident? An attack? Koji gritted his teeth; if those Akutsuki bastards lay a single finger on Genji, he'd-!

Koji flung open the kitchen doors, glancing around wildly for the young bandit and surprised to see Shuu instead. "Eh!? Shuu-san!? Where's Genji-kun?" 

The younger Asatenshi sister wordlessly jerked her head towards the far corner. The bandit slid across the slick kitchen floor, kneeling at Genji's side. The younger Reikaku member, his back to the wall, had his knees curled to his chest and his head between his knees. He was shivering visibly. Koji grabbed the youth's shoulders, shaking them to get the boy's attention. "Oi, oi, Genji-kun? Daijoubu ka? Doshita na?"

"Itai..." The young bandit looked up, lower lip quivering as his purple eyes full of tears. "Koji-sama... it really hurts..."

"What happened?!"

"Koji-sama..." Genji threw his arms around the co-leader's neck, burying his head in Koji's sleeve. "Make it stop, please... make it stop hurting..."

The bandit glanced down awkwardly at the youth, but was too worried to bother with the gesture of affection. "Genji-kun, where're ya hurt? What c'n I do t'help!?"

"Itai..." the youth looked up, crying two small rivers. "It's my... it's my... _my tummy, te kanjii!"_

Koji sweatdropped, eyes turning into small dots. "Yer 'tummy'?" Genji nodded, still sobbing almost uncontrollably. "Yer... 'tummy'...?" Another nod. The bandit sighed, patting the young bandit's back. "Daijoubu, daijoubu, Genji-kun. You'll be all right. I'm here."

Genji smiled, blushing happily and practically curling up in the co-leader's arms. "Yokatta, te kanjii."

"How sweet. Genji-kun's got a crush on you," Shuu remarked dryly, expression and tone completely emotionless. Koji blushed bright red and opened his mouth to snap a reply, but the Asatenshi woman continued speaking. "If you've got him sufficiently seduced, you think you could come over here and take a look at this?"

"Seduced-!? I wasn't...!"

"Right, right, I almost forgot. You only like perfectly-shaped, perfectly-well-mannered, perfectly-unattainable women, don't you?"

"You've got a lotta nerve-!"

"Koji-san!" Hikaru dashed into the room, Ken right on her heels. Grabbing her skirts in one hand, she rushed to the bandit's side, glancing down at the green-haired youth. "Is he all right?"

"I think so," Koji said, shifting the whimpering Genji from his arms into Hikaru's awaiting lap. "He said his tum - er, his _stomach _hurts." Somehow, the bandit was fairly sure Reikaku gang members shouldn't be allowed to use the word "tummy." "I dunno what happened..."

"Ken-san explained it to me on the way down here," Hikaru said, checking the young bandit's vitals as quickly as she could. "Would you mind telling it again please, Ken-san? I'm a little busy."

The newcomer nodded, melodious voice quietly reaching Koji's hears as he relayed the short tale. "I woke up early this morning to use the, er, 'necessary,' and on the way back I happened to run into Shuu-san. She said she'd woken up due to some noises near her window, and had sensed a threatening presence. Shuu-san hadn't been able to find anything, and was on her way back to her room. Well, the two of us were starting to get hungry, and we weren't tired anymore, so we headed over to the kitchens to see what Genji-kun was cooking up."

"_This is what he was cooking up," Shuu said, gesturing towards a potful of a boiling liquid. "Some kind of reddish sauce-"_

"The Genji-chan Strawberry Special!" the young bandit moaned from his seat in Hikaru's lap. Seeming to realize that he had been moved, Genji tried to scoot his way back into Koji's arms, but was forced down by Asatenshi and co-leader alike. "Special spices... best strawberries on the mountain... a perfect blend of sweet and sour... I was making it just for Koji-sama, 'cause he likes it so much... te kanjii..." 

"Yeah," Ken couldn't help but sweatdropping a little. "That. Anyway, he told us the rice cakes were ready and the sauce just needed some extra touches. Genji-kun bit into one of his cakes, then took a taste of the sauce, and said they tasted a little strange. Then he got this odd look on his face, grabbed his stomach, moaned, and said he wasn't feeling too good. He looked extremely pale, and I suggested he take a seat. He did what I asked, except... instead of sitting, he sort of stumbled into the corner and collapsed where you found him. That was when Shuu-san decided we should find you or Genrou."

"Good thinkin'," Koji said, nodding in the Asatenshi sister's direction. "Musta been some kind of food poisonin'. They've been in storage all winter, after all..."

Shuu shook her head, holding up a ladleful of sauce. "I don't think that's it." Koji raised an eyebrow; the sister nodded towards the pot. "See for yourself."

The co-leader stood, walking over and taking the ladle from the Asatenshi woman. "Nani?"

"Have a whiff of that. You smell anything odd? If that doesn't work, take a taste. Just stick your tongue in it real quick. Tell me what you think."

Koji did as she said, frowning thoughtfully. "It's definitely got a funny flavor..." he closed his eyes, searching his brain for the limited numbers of tastes and smells he had been taught to recognize. The co-leader's hazel orbs snapped open in surprise and realization. "Ken-kun, go wake Genrou 'n' Ryo. Come back as quick's ya can. Maybe we c'n still catch th' bastards who did this."

"What is it, Koji-san?" Ken asked, blinking in surprise at the string of demands.

"Wolfbane," Koji said shortly; but that one word was enough. The new bandit nodded quickly and was out the kitchen door in just as short a time.

Shuu nodded, taking the spoon back from him and sticking it into the pot. "And lots of it." The young woman jerked her head in the direction of the rice cakes. "Those've got it just as bad. Genji-kun's lucky he didn't have more than a taste of each." Nearby, the young man moaned pitifully. "He's got every right to complain, too - I'm surprised he's still awake, with the stomach cramps he must be having."

"But who in the world would do something so low?" Hikaru asked, putting a hand lightly on the young bandit's arm. "Well, at least no one was severely hurt, and Genji-kun should be all right..."

Koji wasn't listening. The bandit's hand was gripped tightly against the countertop, and his other fist was trembling slightly with pent-up anger. Shuu glanced over, surprised by the amount of hatred in his hazel eyes.

He spat only a single word: "_Akutsuki!" _

***

Kouran scribbled the final answer on her math questions, looking up and breathing a heavy sigh of relief. _'Thank goodness that's finished,' she thought, leaning back in her chair. _'I forgot how hard these tests were...'__

The young woman put her chin in her hand, glancing to her left to watch as Houjun struggled with the last couple of problems. She smiled gently, brown eyes softening as she watched her love toil away at his work. He had never been naturally talented in this class, but he worked so hard that he couldn't help but get good grades. Another thing she had forgotten about him. Another thing she loved about him.

The past week had been hard on her childhood friend, something she had been only too aware of and probably just as worried about as he was. Hikou had expressed his concerns to her privately, told her about Houjun's nightmares, and had even suggested forgetting this whole thing. He had actually shown signs of wanting to tell their comrade the truth!

Kouran frowned, turning her orbs back to her paper and biting her lip slightly. _Hikou. Just thinking the name made her want to spit in contempt. Gods, she had never thought she would be cooperating with him again, especially in something that involved Houjun. _

The young woman had been reluctant about getting his help at first, but that woman had insisted that the two of them were needed. So, in order to rescue her beloved, Kouran had had to make a few sacrifices. She was somewhat proud of herself, actually, being able to pretend she was still friends with him after so many years. But then again, in this world of memories, it was hard _not_ to get caught up in the past.

_'And now he's thinking about ruining it all again,' she grumbled to herself, gripping her quill tightly in her hand. __'But I won't let him! I've allowed that bastard to mess up too much... I won't let him do it twice.'_

Oh, well. Try not to think too much about that. All she had to do was survive a few months of this charade, and then everything would be finished. Then Houjun would be free. Then he would finally have the happiness that had been denied him for so long. Because of her. Because of _him_. 

_'She had better just keep her end of the bargain,' Kouran thought, looking over at Houjun once again and frowning. __'Those visions, those headaches... she warned me, but I never thought it would be that scary. She had better be doing everything she can to prevent that from happening again.' Kouran sighed a little, closing her eyes. _'Well, it's been a week, after all. Unless that sister that she warned us about is still trying to break through, then maybe we don't have anything to worry about. It's not like Houjun would _want_ to go back to that horrible world, after all...'__

"All right, class, that's all the time you get," Wei-sensei said from the front of the room. "Pass your papers forward."

The group did as she said, then sat back and relaxed while they waited for the next part of their lessons to begin. Kouran looked over at Houjun, and was just about to open her mouth to say something, when the door to the classroom opened once again. Everyone grew silent, glancing up in surprise to see the headmaster himself standing at the front of the group. 

Ryuichi-sensei cleared his throat, running a hand through his graying hair and looking at the class. "Ladies and gentlemen," he grumbled, glaring severely at each student in turn, as if they had done something horribly wrong, "I would like to announce that, for the next couple of classes, you will not be taught by Wei-sensei." The scattered cheers were quickly silenced by an icy stare. "A young teacher from a nearby village just moved into town, and we are letting her handle this class for a few days so that she may get acquainted with the system."

Kouran's eyes widened in surprise. A new teacher? How could that be possible? This world was based on Houjun's memories, on her own and Hikou's memories. How could a new teacher suddenly appear?

Her questions were answered quickly, but the answers did little to ease her heart and mind. Even so, Kouran's worries and fears seemed pitifully small in comparison to the torment and pain that was about to befall her beloved. 

Houjun glanced up, almost bored at the prospect of a temporary teacher, but his boredom evaporated as quickly as his good mood.

The young woman entering the room was clothed in a tasteful dress of pale yellow that fit snugly around her delicate body. She stepped across the floor lightly, facing the class and bowing to the small group. "Kon'nichi wa, minna-san," she said, her strong voice carrying a hint of both gentleness and harshness within it. Her soft, lively emerald eyes, framed by a head of short black hair, flashed secretively in the morning sunlight. "I am Tenshuru Asashi, and very pleased to be working with you this week."

Houjun did not hear the name she called herself. He did not need to. His breath caught in his throat as he viewed the new addition to Kyokujitsu, hand gripping his pen so tightly he thought he might snap it. His mahogany orbs widened in surprise, disbelief and fear, as he felt the clammy claw of dread take a firm grip on his heart. 

"It's her," he gasped under his breath, too quietly for even Kouran to hear.

He had thought his misery was over. He now knew it was only beginning.

And through it all, one name rang incessantly through his mind, a name that he had never been able to find a face for... until now.

_Asatenshi!_

*****  
******

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: September 12, 2003; 9:00 P.M._

Hao, minna-san!  
Sorry for the wait! Work, school and life caught up with me, the dirty little buggers. Can't they see I have more important things to do? Honestly, the real world doesn't understand an Otaku's addiction. A couple things to touch base on, plus an infuriating anecdote, so try not to fall asleep during this freetalk.

**Random Chapter Comments** I took a little break from the plotline today - something you'll find I'm surprisingly good at - in order to bring you... yes it's true... Koji goodness! Huzzah! I just couldn't resist a Koji chapter. Even though he's going to get a million of them in the Second Movement... *Sweatdrop* No Tasuki, though. Sorry to fans of redheaded bandits, I promise he'll be back in the next exciting installment!

**Answering Reviews** Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing "Rhapsody!" Your kind words of support have continuously stopped me when I was inches away from throwing RFS down the drain! Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Val-chan, Roku-senpai, Meg-chan, Kourin-san and Fire Pendant-san! *Profuse bowing* Though I obviously can't answer all of your questions and comments for plot-revealing purposes, I will respond to what I can. So away we go:  
_To Roku-senpai, on her remark about the "chibi" form:_ I'm not sure why I use that, to be honest. I never really thought of it as a comic crutch or anything, though you do make a good point about that. And really, in my older Pokestories, I _never_ used chibi! I guess it's just that, to me, since FY used chibiness all the time, it makes it more like the show. It's like writing Tasuki with his cursing or Chichiri with his "no da"s - it's just "in character." I don't think it's bad if you don't or anything, it's just, you know, one of my writing quirks. Go figure.

**Random Story #53: Chichiri & Baka-chan** After literally years of unsuccessfully attempting to suck my younger stepsister into the world of anime, I finally managed to sit her down and get her to watch "Fushigi Yuugi." She loved it, naturally, and I'm so happy about it that I'll even forgive her for liking Tamahome and Miaka. But I'll _never_ forgive her for... _ah-hem_... so anyway, we're watching and, it's during the Kodoku incident, and Chichiri takes off his mask for a serious moment. Now, Baka-chan (her real name's Becca, but I rather like calling her Baka ^^) has been saying that she wants to see him without his mask on - who wouldn't? - and when she does, she says... get this: "I don't like it. It's gross."   
....Gross? GROSS?! _How can you call that sexy piece of monk ass gross?!_ Honestly. I don't understand her. And I'm never forgiving her. No way, no how, no chance. That was just cruel... just unbelievably cruel... *Grumble* What do Tamahome fans know, anyway...? (I'm going to get massacred for that, aren't I? *Wince*)

_Question of the Week:_ Why weren't Tasuki and Chichiri given armor during the Kutou War? Methinks Hotohori be jealous of their popularity, yes? ^.~

**Verse Preview** Tasuki and Hikaru have a bonding moment, Genji-kun recovers with amazing quickness, and Houjun... well, the poor guy's life certainly isn't getting any easier. And who is this Tenshuru woman, anyway? Bah, this has gotten too long. See you next time!

The Rambling Chichiri Protector,  
Dee ~_^ 


	11. Verse Nine: Angel Blue

_

-FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

The Free Site 

  
Translation Note: "Koujo-sama," Kouran's nickname, is a play on the word "Oujo," which means "Imperial Princess." It's a teasing name that Houjun and Hikou use whenever she's being particularly bossy. ~_^_

**

Verse Nine: Angel Blue

**

"It's like somebody launched a missile   
The day that everything ends   
Is anxiously being brought about.  
What could this feeling be?  
Is it something bad or is this normal?  
By myself, I don't understand any of it! Somebody explain it to me!"  
~"Tenchi in Tokyo" Opening Theme; "Yume wa Doko e Itta?" (Where Did The Dream Go?)~ 

Houjun stared hard at the young teacher, mahogany eyes blinking in disbelief. How could it be her!? How could she be here!? The only place she could possibly exist was in his mind, within the stress-induced visions of his own design. She couldn't be real, otherwise everything else he had pictured had the potential to be real, had the potential to come true...

And that meant...

The woman smiled, nodding towards Wei-sensei and Headmaster Ryuichi. "Ah, Ryuichi-sensei, thank you for showing me to my temporary classroom. I believe that I can take it from here."

The older man nodded, turning to fire his icy glare upon the classroom one last time. "I expect to hear only good things from Tenshuru-sensei. A bad report on a first day is most embarassing for a class, and for a school." 

Everyone in the room nodded, flashing their most angelic smiles. They all knew that what Ryuichi really meant was that a bad report looked bad for him, and anyone who screwed up his reputation would very quickly discover a hell on earth. "Hai, Ryuichi-sensei!" the group, except for Houjun, chimed as one.

Tenshuru Asashi waited until the door closed, then flashed another mysterious smile to the group of teenagers. "Phew, am I glad he's gone. I don't know about the rest of you, but that man gives me the creeps. I'm afraid that if I breathe wrong he'll fire me." Her remark earned scattered chuckles and more than a few winces; the headmaster was, after all, famous for his harsh punishments.

Asashi pulled the teacher's chair out from behind her desk, taking a delicate seat in front of the class. She smiled again, though this time it was a small, embarassed smile. "To be honest, I shouldn't be in here. I specialize in music, but Ryuichi-sensei insisted that, before I take up at residence at the University, I should learn the basics of teaching." Several students whistled at her remark. Kyokujitsu's only claim to fame was the small Music and Arts University next to the secondary school; it was common knowledge that only the best of the best made it into that building, be they teachers or students. "But, until then, I guess I'll have to give this a try..."

Kouran glanced over fearfully at Houjun, noting the disbelieving look in his eyes and imagining the thoughts that were flying through his troubled mind. Surely, they couldn't be much different than her own, she decided, as she turned her own brown orbs back to the new teacher and frantically began searching for some answers to her questions. 

This woman should not be here! This woman _could_ not be here! She had promised that she would keep Houjun safe, that she would block all attempts to free him, that she would help to save him! So then, why... why was she barging into the picture now, and in _their_ closed world, no less?! How could she... why would she...

_'Wait,' Kouran's eyes opened slightly as the realization hit her. She sat back in her chair, every muscle tensing. __'She said she had a sister... a sister that would try to stop us... so, then... is this her?' The young woman stared intently at the mysterious teacher, wide eyes suddenly narrowing angrily. __'And she thinks we'll let her win!? Fat chance of that!'_

Kouran turned her gaze back to Houjun, frowning worriedly at the way he was staring at Tenshuru-sensei. His eyes looked worried, almost scared, and he was clearly surprised at what he was seeing; but there was something else in his gaze that heightened the young woman's feeling of uneasiness. Houjun's mouth was set in a stubborn line, as if he were trying to figure out why he had seen her before... or, rather, trying to _remember_ why he had seen her before...

"Houjun?" Kouran whispered, leaning across the small space between their desks and touching his hand lightly with her own. "Houjun?" she called again. "Is... is everything all right?"

Her friend and beloved jumped slightly, as if startled out of a day-dream or memory, jerking his head in her direction. Houjun blinked a few times, shaking his head a little to clear it of whatever thoughts he may have been having. "Hai, hai. H-heki [I'm fine]... it's just... " he leaned over just far enough so he could whisper without being heard by anyone else. "Have you... have you ever seen Tenshuru-sensei before? I feel like I know her from somewhere, except I keep wanting to call her 'Asatenshi.'"

"Asatenshi?" Kouran raised a confused eyebrow. She had to play her part right, down to the last tiny detail. Otherwise this would all be for nothing. "I don't think so..." the young woman shot a glance at Tenshuru Asashi, frowning thoughtfully. "Hm...Ryuichi-sensei said she was from a neighboring village. Maybe she visited here once or twice, and you saw her then. She does look a _little familiar, I guess."_

He nodded and turned back to the front, seeming to accept her answer. But his doubts were still written clearly on his face, and Kouran worried about what he might be thinking. Could he be trying to place her face? Could he be trying to _remember_ her? Remember _that_?

_'No...no, he couldn't be. Why would he want to?' Kouran watched him carefully, brown eyes softening as they often did when she looked his way. __'Oh, Houjun, I wish we didn't have to put you through this, but it's the only way that we can...'_

"Ah, let's see...Suzunami-san, isn't it?"

The young woman whirled around in her seat, nearly knocking her books off her desk. She met Asashi's eyes squarely with her own, stiffening like a soldier coming to attention. "H-hai, Tenshuru-sensei! Atashi wa... Su-Suzunami Kouran."

Tenshuru smiled in amusement as they rest of the class tittered at her strange actions. "A pleasure to meet you, Suzunami-san, but I was asking if you knew what the class was currently studying."

Cheeks a bright red, the young woman looked down at her notes and tried desperately to cover her embarassment. "H-hai, Sensei. We were talking about the, eto, the Kutou war from a century ago. I'm not sure how far into it we were, though..."

"That's quite all right. Thank you for your input, Suzunami-san." The young teacher turned her eyes to the rest of the class, her ever-present half-smile still playing on her lips. "Hm... let's see, who to call upon...?" Asashi's enchanting emerald orbs slid past Kouran once again, finally coming to rest on the tense Houjun. "Ah, Ri-san!"

The young man looked up, jerking out of his private world almost as quickly as he had entered it. He blinked a couple of times, and Kouran noticed that his hands were trembling as he fought up the nerve to answer the mysteriously familiar teacher. The teacher whom he had seen before, but only in his dreams. "Ten... Tenshuru-sensei?"

"Perhaps you can tell us a little bit about the Hokkan-Kutou war, Ri-san," she suggested, leaning against her desk and piercing his gaze with an emerald stare. "With them being such a close neighbor, I'm sure you know something about Kutou's position in those battles."

Kouran frowned, glancing down at her history papers. She had thought Tenshuru would have said something a bit more intimidating than _that_. _'Maybe I'm paranoid, and she really is just a new teacher...'_

"Ri-san!"

"Ri!"

"Houjun-kun!"

Kouran's head jerked up at the surprised calls of her classmates. She glanced around wildly, eyes finally coming to rest on what had caused the others to shout. The sight made her heart race.Her beloved had a hand over his left eye, grappling wildly at the area as he moaned softly to himself. His mouth was stretched in a grimace of indescribable pain; Kouran had only seen that look once before, but she knew well enough what it meant.

Suzaku, no. It was happening again. And this time, what if...? "Houjun..." she whispered quietly, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes. Tenshuru had done it. Without Kouran even noticing, she had done it. And now... oh, and now!

The young woman wanted to move to Houjun's side, but found herself unable to do so. Paralyzed by fear, panic and dread, she could only stare helplessly as her fellow classmates crowded around him, calling out to him but not daring to get too close. Asashi glanced anxiously at the young man, wringing her hands as she debated on fetching the headmaster or taking care of this herself. After another moment and more of Houjun's cries, she finally made her decision. "I'll be right back, minna-san... ah, Ri-san, if you can hear me I'm going to get Ryuichi-sensei, so hang on, okay!? Oh, gods..."

The door slammed behind Tenshuru, but no one else seemed to notice. Their attention was fixed intently on Houjun, who had barely moved since the incident had begun. His other hand, the one that wasn't pressed tightly against his eye, shook as it clawed at thin air, desperately trying to find something, anything, to hang onto, to anchor it to reality and the world it knew.

_Houjun! she mouthed silently, closing her eyes and putting her hands over her mouth. _Gods, why...?__

"Kouran...!"

The young woman looked up, blinking in surprise and confusion. Had someone... had he...?

"Kouran..." Houjun muttered, voice a husky whisper, as if he were on the verge of tears; or perhaps a breakdown. "I promised Kouran... I promised her I wouldn't leave... I can't, I won't... Kouran..."

Her eyes welled with tears. Despite his pain, despite his visions and nightmares and questions, Houjun was thinking about her? Houjun was concerned about her? And after everything she had done...

His words were enough to snap the female student out of her daze. Kouran practically jumped out of her desk, sending her school supplies flying as she did. She knelt next to her friend, taking his flailing hand in her own and squeezing as tightly as she dared. "Houjun, Houjun, I'm here... it's going to be okay." She lay her head against his trembling shoulder, closing her eyes and allowing a few tears to squeeze their way past her lashes. "Oh, Houjun... you're not going anywhere. You're going to be fine. Everything... everything's going to be fine. Just rest, please. Don't worry about me. Just rest."

A few seconds later, almost as if at her bidding, the young man's shoulder went slack against her cheek. Kouran breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had released himself from his pain but frightened for his current condition. If this sort of thing kept up, then there was no way she and Hikou could protect him from that world; from that cruel, vicious reality that was so eager to snatch him back.

Kouran gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, burying her face in his sleeve and setting her jaw stubbornly. _'No. I won't let it happen. No matter what she tries to do, no matter what any of them try to do... I won't allow it! I'll protect you from all of that, Houjun, even if it kills me. Again. I'll save you this time. That's my_ promise to you.'__

***

"Sonofabitch!"

A bedraggled Tasuki slammed the door of his room open, stomping into his private quarters. He pushed some of his wind-blown hair out of his eyes, rubbed his frost-bitten hands together, and slumped down onto his bed with a grumbled curse. An equally disguntled Koji soon followed, looking little better than his tired friend. They gave almost no notice to the comatose monk on the floor, nor to the often-present Hikaru who was tending to their friend; at the moment, other things commanded their attention.

"Those damned Akutsuki bastards!" Tasuki swore loudly, whacking his bedpost with his tessen. "Messin' up our food supplies an' then leadin' us on that false trail jus' so we c'd get all tired 'n' frozen 'n' winded 'n' come back t'the stronghold all pissed off with half our supplies spoiled! Shit-faced ass-wipin' donkey-fuckin' sons-a-bitches!"

Hikaru looked up and blinked very large, emerald eyes at the seishi bandit. "Sa... sh-should I leave?"

Tasuki looked down, blinking equally large, amber eyes at the young woman. "Ah, Hikaru. Didn't see ya sittin' there. Jus' pretend ya didn't hear any-a that."

Koji sweatdropped. "Genrou tends t'get a little vulgar when things don't go right. An' he tends t'get really vulgar when things are goin' downright terrible." The Reikaku co-leader sighed, scratching at his scar unhappily. "In one week, those Akutsuki guys've done more damage'n gangs twice their size have ever done t'Reikaku."

"That's 'cause they're dirty rotten scummy cheaters!" Tasuki ranted, smacking his bedpost with his fan again. "Only pure slime'd poison another stronghold's supplies of food 'n' water! It's a good thing Genji-kun only had a little taste-a that sauce!" The bandit gritted his teeth, clenching a fist unhappily. "I shoulda seen that comin'... those bastards... they coulda killed Genji-kun, an' a lotta others..."

"Oi, Genrou, don't blame yerself," Koji remarked, thumping his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Like you said, they are scum. You 'n' me 'n' th' boys, we ain't, an' it's gonna be harder fer us t'fight 'em 'cause we don't think as dirty as they do."

"Fight 'em!?" Tasuki jumped up, waving his tessen wildly. "We're not gonna fight 'em! We're gonna masacre 'em! We're gonna murderize 'em! We're gonna kick their scrawny cheatin' asses! We're gonna-!" Tasuki's stomach rumbled; the entire group sweatdropped.

"Maybe you ought to eat first," Hikaru suggested. She paused, frowning a little. "Unless... did these Akutsuki bandits destroy all of your food?"

Koji waved a reassuring hand. "Nah, maybe jus' half of it. It's a pain, 'cause we're gonna have t'go get supplies in this winter weather, but we've got enough money stashed away that it won't be too hard on us."

"My ass it won't!"

The tan bandit held up his hands, grinning nervously at his livid friend. "Eesh, calm down Genrou. It coulda been a lot worse. At least no one was hurt - well, Genji-kun's got an upset stomach, but that's all - an' they didn't get all th' food. An' now that we understan' their dirty tricks, we'll be prepared, na."

"That's not th' point! It's th' principle of th' thing, Koji! We can't jus' let 'em waltz around an' do whatever they want, or they're gonna start thinkin' we're wimps!"

"Sou, sou, but if we go out there an' try t'fight 'em, we could wind up gettin' ourselves killed. We still don't know how many guys they got, or even where their hideout is."

"We're the famous bandits of Mount Reikaku! We c'n take on any gang!"

"Well, that may be so, but would ya be willin' t'do that at th' expense-a lives?"

"If it'd save more people from gettin' hurt like Genji-kun was, then hell, yes!"

Koji sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yer hopeless, Genrou."

"All right, if you don't agree with me, 'n' I don't agree with you, we'll get a third opinion," Tasuki suggested, arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. He whirled his amber eyes in Hikaru's direction. "Oi, Hikaru! Whadda you think? Should we attack b'fore they get cocky-"

"Or should we take th' defensive t'save lives?" Koji finished.

The young woman grinned nervously at the pair of equally stubborn bandits, poking her index fingers together. "I'm not really much of a campaigner... do I really have to answer this?" 

"Yes you do!"

"Is this how the two of you solve all the problems around here?" 

"Yes it is!"

Hikaru sighed. "Well, in that case..." she paused thoughtfully. "This is just my opinion, but, hm... I agree with Koji-san, because I don't think it's a good idea to go diving head-first into a battle, especially if you don't know your enemy very well..."

Koji grinned at the young woman, slightly surprised that she had taken his side but pleased nonetheless. "Arigatou, Hikaru-san."

"...But I agree with Tasuki, too, because you don't want to give them a lot of time to think up a plan."

Reikaku's leader smirked at his companion. "Arigatou, Hikaru." Tasuki blinked, then looked back at Asatenshi curiously. "Wait... you jus' agreed with two completely diff'rent ideas."

"Hm..." she grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I did, didn't I?" The two bandits face-vaulted. "However, I think I might be able to help you come to a conclusion."

"You can?"

Hikaru nodded. "Mm! If you'd like, I can build a protection barrier around the stronghold. I'm sorry to say I can't create a field that large that would keep your enemies out, but if any of them got within the grounds of Reikaku, anyone with a magical aura - Shuu-chan, Tasuki, and myself - would know immediately!" She frowned a little. "I know that doesn't help you entirely, but this way you can take some time to gather more information about your enemies without the fear of them sneaking unnoticed onto Reikaku territory."

"You c'd really do that?" Tasuki asked.

"Certainly!" she agreed. "It's the least I can do, after the hospitality you and Koji-san have shown me. I have some things to take care of today, but tomorrow morning I'll go out and do that right away."

Koji and Tasuki both frowned thoughtfully, but for different reasons. The bandit co-leader was wondering how the Akutsuki members could know so much about Reikaku territory so quickly, and once again mulling over the idea of a traitor in Reikaku's midst. But who could it be...?

Tasuki's mind, on the other hand, had flitted away from the rival gang as soon as the monk's name had been mentioned. "Oi, Hikaru... about that spell..." he sat back down on his bed, putting his chin in his hands. "You told me it would start t'take effect in a week, na?" A nod. "Well, it's been a week, ain't it?" Another nod. "And...?"

Asatenshi looked up with a half-smile on her pretty face. "It's working, I can promise you that. In fact, I believe that I broke through today - with a little luck, Chichiri is starting to remember things a bit more. Maybe he's created his link, the person I told you about before. However..." Hikaru bit her lip unhappily.

"However?" Tasuki pressed, leaning forward on his bed anxiously. The seishi bandit had been so caught up in the Akutsuki affairs this past week that he had been too tired to speak with the monk at night, and he worried that Hikaru's "however" would involve his inactivity with Chichiri. If Chichiri died, and it wound up being his fault again...

No. Stop. It was never his fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. _Nobody's fault_. Quit thinking about it. About the past. About regrets. About death. About everything. 

"I'm having a hard time completing the spell. It's like, when I send it to Chichiri, it has to go through a thick net to reach him, and by the time it does reach him almost the entire spell has been filtered out. Caught and stopped, if you will."

Koji glanced at Tasuki, but noticed that he was only paying half attention to Asatenshi. Even Koji wasn't completely sure where his best friend went when he got caught in his private world, in that dark place of weakness and self-doubt that he had discovered and gained after his seishi travels. Tasuki had been different since then, and had been reluctant to speak to even Koji about it. His tan counterpart never pushed it, of course, knowing that Tasuki needed his privacy in some things. Nevertheless, it worried him a little when Reikaku's leader slipped into uncertainty.

The co-leader decided to speak up, if only to break the silence and bring his friend back to earth. "You mentioned that t'me earlier. Better explain t'Genrou over here what that means," he chuckled, trying to relieve some of the tension in the room, "he's a little slow, heheh."

Hikaru looked back at the monk, touching a hand lightly to his unmasked face. "It means someone's trying to block my spell. That somebody wants Chichiri to stay in his closed universe, probably forever."

Tasuki jerked his head up, realizing what she had said. "Someone...?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same person who put the spell on him in the first place," she continued quietly. "I didn't expect to get this kind of trouble... it's going to be a lot harder, and it might take longer as well." Hikaru glanced up, meeting Tasuki's golden gaze and smiling assuredly. "Don't worry, Tasuki. I'm certain I'll reach Chichiri before it's too late. He's very wise, so he should figure out quickly that something is wrong; not to mention he must miss you. He'll come back."

The Reikaku leader didn't return her smile. He didn't have the energy. "I sure's hell hope so..."

Koji looked at his two companions, united in their fight for Chichiri's life, and felt something inside of him tighten further. Even though he knew it shouldn't have bothered him - Hikaru was just trying to make Tasuki feel better, it wasn't like it meant anything - for some reason, even that tiny action of sympathy...

"Koji-samaaaaaaa!"

The trio of companions jumped at the ungodly wail. The bandit whose name had been called blinked wide hazel eyes, glancing at Tasuki. "What th' hell was that?"

"Koji-sama, it hurts it hurts, te kanjiiiiiii!!"

Reikaku's leader put a thoughtful finger to his chin "That sounds a hell of a lot like Genji-kun..."

Koji slapped his head, remembering something from earlier. "Ack! It _is _Genji-kun! I'm such an idiot." He stood, offering a quick explanation. "After that poisonin' incident this mornin', I felt a little responsible 'cause I requested th' food fer breakfast, so I offered t'do what I c'd t'help him feel better."

"Koji-samaaaaaaa! Please hurry! I'm dying, I'm dying!"

Tasuki frowned. "Wait... Ain't he sharin' yer room right now?" A nod. "An' ain't yer room on th' other side of th' stronghold?" Another nod. Tasuki sweatdropped. "Then how th' hell c'n we hear him from here!?"

"Please don't let me die this painful death by myself, te kanjiiiiiii!"

"Hey, he's Genji-kun. I wouldn't put much past him," Koji said, wincing as the young bandit's cries pierced the relative tranquility of the afternoon. "I'd better go see what he needs."

"Come back when yer done, will ya? I still need t'talk t'ya about some stuff."

"Hai, hai. Dewa, Genrou, Hikaru-san."

The bandit was out the door in a moment, closing it behind him and leaving the seishi and shrine maiden alone. Tasuki frowned, laying back on his bed and looking up at the ceiling. The room was silent for several long seconds, until the bandit sighed heavily and asked: "Is there anythin' else I c'n do? T'help make sure yer spell works, or t'stop whoever's tryin' t'block it?"

Hikaru chuckled humourlessly. "Not unless you can find the person who is doing this and stop them. No, there's really nothing either of us can do about that, I'm afraid to say. We'll just have to trust Chichiri, my magic, and his connection to you."

"Nothin' I can do," he said quietly. Tasuki snorted, grumbling quietly to himself. "Figures. Stupid. Useless. Jus' like with th' others..."

Asatenshi glanced up, hearing the obvious frustration and pain in the seishi's voice. "Hm? 'The others'?" The bandit offered no response. Hikaru gently pressed the issue. "Is this about the other seishi? Chichiri mentioned them, from time to time. I understand that four of them were killed during your journey..."

"Five of 'em," Tasuki said flatly. "Tamahome might as well be dead. He's in th' other world, with our Priestess, Miaka."

_ Miaka... _

No. Don't think about that. Especially about that. That was the worst. That had always been the worst. He had to push that one away. Forget about it. That wasn't his fault. None of it was.

Then whose fault was it...?

"Tasuki?" Hikaru said quietly, almost as if she were afraid to speak. "This brings you a lot of pain, doesn't it? Even after so long... was it really that bad?"

"Not all bad," he answered, voice just as hushed. Tasuki couldn't bring himself to meet the woman's eyes. "There were good times, too. Fun times. I learned a lot about myself. A lotta strengths. But there was other stuff, too..." 

And somehow, he finished silently, none of that happiness compared with the weaknesses he had found inside of himself. None of that could cover the sorrow, the blame, the hate, the blind lust, the darkness he'd found in his heart. That was why he relied so heavily on Koji, wasn't it? Why he was so afraid that Chichiri, his quiet protector, might die too? Because he couldn't count on himself in the hard times, couldn't be trusted to do the right thing or the smart thing or the brave thing. He couldn't believe in those strengths, not when his weaknesses were lurking so close by. Especially after...

No. That hadn't been his fault. He couldn't say that was his fault. He had had no control over it. There was nothing he could have done. That one time. All those times. No control. Not his fault. Not his fault.

Then who...?

Shut up. Stop thinking about it. Keep going. Move ahead. Live.

"You don't trust yourself, do you?" Hikaru said quietly. 

Tasuki jerked his arm away from her, crossing them over his chest and scowling fiercely. "What the hell kind of question is that?" The bandit sat up, gripping his fists tightly in an effort to calm himself while he pushed his thoughts far into his heart and out of the way. Don't think about it. Forget it. It was easier that way. "Of course I trust myself!"

The bandit regretted the words as soon as they came out. Hikaru pulled away, frowning and looking down. "S... sorry, Tasuki. I didn't mean to pry. It was just... for a minute there, you looked like the loneliest person in the world."

"Well, I ain't," he snapped grumpily, refusing to look at her. "Ch, leader-a th' Reikaku bandits, bein' lonely. Girls're such idiots. How annoyin'."

Out in the hallway, Koji walked up to the door. He was just about to do his whole "knock knock" bit when he heard Hikaru's hushed voice behind the wood. Curious - and something else, though he couldn't place his finger on the emotion - as to what she would be speaking so gently about, Koji withheld from knocking and listened silently to the private conversation.

"... You must hate women an awful lot," Hikaru remarked, emerald eyes on the floor. "Chichiri said that I would probably get on your nerves, but I tried to do my best to make a good impression." She tried a smile that fell short. "I guess I managed to screw that up on that pretty good, didn't I?" 

Tasuki's golden eyes softened a little. He hated seeing girls cry. Inwardly, he kicked himself for being such a loud-mouthed, well, bandit. "Oi, Hikaru, that ain't true. Yer a pretty good person, y'know. An' really, ya don't get on my nerves a whole lot. You've been... pretty helpful, come t'think of it." 

It wasn't her fault he didn't like women, after all. She couldn't help that. Hell, even he couldn't help that. Not after all the trouble they caused, all the pain and the heartache...

Women were the reason he had first learned about death and losing people you care about. They were the reason he and his companions had gotten hurt and killed. They were the reason he couldn't trust himself anymore. They were the reason why he had almost lost his soul to a demon. 

Women were the reason he was having these thoughts to begin with.

"I don't hate girls," he grumbled "I promised a friend that I wouldn't say I hated girls anymore. They still annoy me, sometimes, but they ain't all that stupid. At least, you ain't." Tasuki looked away; he couldn't believe he was actually saying this! "Anyway... sorry I snapped at ya like that."

"That's all right. It was my fault for prying," Hikaru assured him. The young woman paused, watching the bandit with concern in her emerald eyes. Hesitantly, she lay a hand on his knee, looking up at him from her kneeling position on the floor.

Tasuki stiffened, amber eyes meeting her emerald ones. Hers were full of gentle compassion; his wide with surprise. "Eh, Hikaru..."

She smiled. "I understand that you've been through a lot. And I won't push you to talk about it. But, if you ever need someone to speak to, about anything... I'll be here, okay?" The Asatenshi sister looked down, blushing just slightly. "If you'll let me, I'd like to help you trust yourself again."

The bandit snorted, looking away again. He knew he should have been mad, or at least protective over the way she had looked straight into his heart and guessed about all his uncertainties, but for some reason... The bandit grumbled a response, but there was a small smile on his lips. "I guess I oughta be grateful, na?"

Hikaru smiled in modest embarrassment. "It's nothing, Tasuki. I just hope that, someday, you can..."

"Knock knock! Who's there! It's Koji, comin' back from Genji-kun's room like he promised. Ah, Koji, come right in, we missed ya. A-ri-ga-tou..." the doors swung open, revealing the tanned bandit. Neither Tasuki nor Hikaru noticed the way his grip tightened slightly on the door as he saw Asatenshi's hand on his bandit friend's knee.

The seishi grinned, waving at his companion. "Welcome back, Koji. Ya got good timin': Hikaru was jus' finishin' up in here."

Hikaru broke eye contact with Tasuki, pulling her hand off his knee and turning her emerald orbs back to the monk. "Oh! I guess I am pretty much done." She stood, dusting off her skirt slightly. "I'm going to go get some lunch - I'm starving."

"Lunch!" Tasuki turned chibi and slapped a fist into his open palm. "I almost fergot about lunch! Oi, Koji, b'fore we talk about that Akutsuki gang, how about some grub first, na?" He lay back on his bed, stretching and grinning wolfishly at his friend. "I'll jus' take a plateful of whatever we got. Bring it on back in here an' we c'n chat. C'mon, hop to it, I'm starvin' over here."

Koji scowled at his friend, folding his arms over his chest. He had to play his part. Couldn't let Tasuki and Hikaru know how he was feeling. It was probably nothing, anyway. The two of them were just friends, after all. The seishi bandit wasn't even interested in girls. That's right. It was nothing.

So why did his heart hurt so much?

"You lazyass!" he laughed, holding the door open courteously as Hikaru walked out before him. "Fine, but I'm only doin' this 'cause I'm already up. You owe me fer this one."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever ya say," Tasuki waved a dismissive hand, watching as the door closed behind his best friend. Oblivious to Koji's troubles, he made himself comfortable and looked up at the peeling ceiling of his room. Hikaru was certainly an interesting person. The bandit didn't think he had ever met anyone quite like her. She wasn't too bad, even if she was a woman. And what a weird thing to say...

_"If you'll let me, I'd like to help you trust yourself again."_

Tasuki chuckled slightly. "Oi, 'Chiri, wanna know somethin' funny? I feel better t'day than I have in a week, an' it's all 'cause-a what some _girl _said. Ha, I really am goin' senile..."

***

"So you're saying he just keeled over all of a sudden?"

_'Dare [Who]...?'_

"That's right, Headmaster. The other students say it was a headache - that it had happened before."

"Humph! Why wasn't I informed of this!? Well, nevermind. What should we do about it?"

_'Headmaster... Ryuichi-sensei. And another voice. But I don't know it.' Houjun moaned softly, too quietly for anyone but himself to hear. '__I wish they'd quiet down a little... ite, why does my face hurt?' His left eye twitched involuntarily, as if the action could send away the dull throb that occupied his skull from eyebrow to nose.___

"Do? I, I'm not sure... I suppose we should get his parents, shouldn't we? Oh, or should we wait until he wakes up and see what _he_ wants to do? I don't know..."

Wait. He did know that voice. It was Asatenshi. No, that wasn't right, he didn't know anybody by that name. It was Tenshuru. Tenshuru Asashi, the new, temporary teacher. The woman with those mysterious green eyes, the ones he had felt like he was drowning in. When she had turned those eyes on him, and asked that question...

"Let's give it a few more minutes. Maybe he'll come around and we can see how he feels. If not, then we'll get his parents."

"But Ryuichi-sensei, what if we wait too long and...?"

Houjun pulled himself out of slumber at the sound of the newest voice. '_Kouran.'_ Nearby, too, probably right next to him. That would explain the warm fingers grasping his hand. She sounded worried, scared, borderline panicked. He would take a little pain in his eye over seeing _her _in pain. Reluctantly, the young man gave a groan and opened his eyes. Houjun found himself still sitting at his desk, with his head in his arm and Kouran almost directly in front of him. He smiled weakly. "It's all right, Kouran. I'm okay no da." Ach. There was that damned "no da" again.

His companion jerked her head around, violet hair flying over her shoulder. "Houjun!?"

He nodded, forcing himself into a sitting position. He blinked, partially to rid himself of sleepiness, partially to clear the images of the blonde shogun that still flashed in his mind. "Hai. 'S me." 

The young woman's worried frown curled upwards into a smile of immense relief. "Houjun..." She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly in spite of the teachers and students that stood nearby. "Yokatta! Oh, thank goodness you're all right! When you started... I thought... I worried..."

He returned the embrace, wishing the throb in his eye would disappear. It had never lasted this long before. "I told you already, Kouran. I'm not going anywhere. I promised, didn't I?"

Seeming to remember where she was, Houjun's beloved pulled sharply away, blushing at her brash display of affection. "Ah... h-hai. I guess... I guess you did. S-sorry about all that..."

Houjun chuckled at her embarrassment, but didn't answer. He turned his mahogany orbs towards Ryuichi, smiling at the Headmaster. As much as his face ached, and as much as those visions of that man sent shivers down his spine, he couldn't afford to show his anxiety and worries in class. Not in front of his friends. Not in front of Kouran. He had caused enough fear in her life as it was. "Sumimasen, Ryuichi-sensei, for making you come out here. Eiri-san says I'm overworking myself. I guess I must have been thinking too hard, or something." He thumped his own head lightly to make a point.

He forced a laugh, and the rest of the class chuckled with him, even though it wasn't really funny. Ryuichi raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but shrugged dismissively. "Well, if you say you're all right then I'll accept your answer. You're old enough to know your own health, I s'pose. And anyway, you weren't out for more than a minute or so, so..."

Tenshuru touched a delicate hand to the Headmaster's sleeve, just slightly. She frowned worriedly. "Are you sure about that, sir? The way he almost collapsed like that... he seemed to be in a lot of pain..." The female teacher shot a quick, nervous glance in Houjun's direction. Her eyes stared straight into his, and for a split second the young man was certain he saw those emerald orbs sparkle with pleasure.

_'She triggered it,' he thought to himself, his own eyes widening as the realization struck. _'She did something. Maybe not exactly on purpose, but she had an idea of what it would do...' _He watched as Tenshuru argued her case with Ryuichi, who seemed unsure of himself for one of the first times in his life. But the young man wasn't paying attention to her words; he was focusing on her intently, trying to see through her outer layer of worry and into her true soul. __'I don't know how, but somehow she understands what's happening to me. Maybe she'll be able to give me some answers, help me figure all of this out...' _

Houjun set his jaw stubbornly. Now he definitely couldn't leave school, not when he might finally have an answer to his visions of death and misery. "Ryuichi-sensei? Tenshuru-sensei?" The two teachers paused in their debate to look his way. "I understand your concern and all, but I'll be all right. Really. I want to stay here, okay? Nothing else is going to happen."

_'Nothing,' he added silently to himself, __' _except maybe, just maybe, my peace of mind.'__

***

The rest of the school day dragged by unbearably slowly, even though Houjun barely paid attention in his classes. He went through the motions like he was expected, teasing Kouran about her anxiety over a test, laughing at his classmates' jokes, making a jab at Headmaster Ryuichi's behavior that morning. None of the others seemed even slightly aware that his mind was miles away, that he was only going through the motions, that his thoughts were focused completely on Tenshuru-sensei and how he was going to confront her. And although he jotted down answers on his history test that were certainly wrong, he managed to come up with a good answer to his other, bigger problems.

He decided to speak to the young teacher after school. He would say he was going in to ask about homework - that he didn't catch the assignment during class, which was true - and see what information he could get out of her. Houjun was still debating on _how he would bring up the subject when Tenshuru finally dismissed the class, darting out of the room as she did. The young man stood, blinking to bring himself back to reality, and started to gather his things together._

"Oi, Ri-kun, do you want to come to my house after school?" a fellow classmate, Yukibara Shigure, asked, leaning against his desk. "Us fourth-years are gonna cram for the big history test at the end of this week. I think Suzunami-san's gonna be there. What do you say? You game?"

Hajimoto Airi joined Shigure, grinning and winking at her blue-haired friend. "Unless your brain's too fried from studying for that Hell Exam, the kakyo. Wouldn't want to have one of those meltdowns again, would you?"

The young man glanced up at the pair of students, smiling automatically. "I need to talk to Tenshuru-sensei for a few minutes, but then sure, I'll come over. I could use some help on that test."

"You? Need help? Mister Perfect Grades?" Airi put a hand to her chest in feigned shock. "What's the world coming to?" 

Shigure laughed, shaking his head. "Man, your brain really _is_ fried." He waved a hand in his classmate's direction, turning to leave with Airi on his heels. "Well, I'll see you in a few. Jaa ne, Ri-kun."

"Jaa, Shigure-kun, Hajimoto-san!"

Houjun breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to his supplies. Practically the entire class - it was a small group, only seven students in all - would be over at Shigure's house. That meant that none of them would bother him about things to do after school. He would be free to visit Tenshuru and talk for as long as he wanted...

The young man turned to leave the classroom, only to find Kouran waiting for him outside the door. His childhood companion smiled at her friend, almost immediately linking her hand in his. "So, are you going to Yukibara's house? I need to run by my house and pick up some extra ink, but if you want to come with me we can walk there together."

Houjun swore inwardly. He didn't want to say no to Kouran, but he couldn't pass up this opportunity to speak with that mysterious teacher. The young man scratched his neck nervously. "Actually, I needed to talk to Tenshuru-sensei for a few minutes. What with everything that went on in her class today, I didn't catch a lot of the work."

"Oh, I can help you with all that!" she assured him. "Wrote the assignment down and everything."

Kuso. He should have known she would say that. "Thanks for the offer, but maybe it'd be better if I got the information straight from the teacher. After all, I won't be able to rely on you and Hikou to help me get caught up at the university next year, so I should get some practice. We can still walk to Yukibara's house together," he assured her quickly, mistaking her look of displeasure for disappointment. "You can go to your house and then come back and meet me here. Okay?"

Her frown did not lessen, but she gave a small nod of approval. Kouran released his hand, quickening her pace as they walked out the main doors. "Mm. I'll go take care of that now."

"I'll meet you here in front," he called after her, waiting until she was around the corner and out of sight before continuing across the grounds towards the University building next door. The young teacher had said she was going to be teaching music, so that would make her classroom at the end of the east corridor. Houjun bustled through the doors of the university building, breathing in the scents of ink and soaking in the sound of a student reciting an ancient poem. He had always loved the university, though he could never explain why. 

The young man turned a corner, walking rapidly down the short hallway and going over the many ways he could begin his conversation. "No matter how I look at it, this is destined to be awkward," he sighed. "And if my suspicions are wrong, then she's going to think I'm insane. Just great..."

Houjun trailed off, ears perking up at a faint sound that echoed down the hallway. He stopped for a moment, cocking his head and realizing that he was listening to the music of a flute. He started walking again, allowing himself to fall into the rises and falls of the high, vibrant melody. The music was familiar, and as the sound became clearer he realized that he knew the words. It was "Hoshi no Namida [Tears of the Stars]," an old tune, one his mother had sung to him when he was younger, and one that he had sung to Kyoui when she was little. One evening, he had even taught it to...

_Who had he taught it to?_

The young man shook his head, noticing that he was standing inside the doorway of Tenshuru's room; the door the music echoed from. He glanced across the room, gaze landing on the young, pretty teacher who was engrossed in her playing. She didn't seem to notice him, so lost was she in the trills and scales of the music. Houjun smiled slightly, listening as the cheerful piece came to its final verses. He couldn't help but join in, vibrating tenor mingling with the flute's notes:

"_Gazing into the flowing water_

_My only thought is that your beautiful reflection_

_Shall never again stand beside my own._

_The current streams silently by_

_Just like the past I left behind_

_Somehow, though, that's beautiful, too._

_Gazing up at the faraway sky_

_I cast my wish upon a single falling star_

_Dreaming of the day we may meet again_

_I embrace it tightly, and close my eyes."_

Houjun opened his mahogany orbs, surprised to realize that Tenshuru had stopped playing during the last verse and was now clapping appreciatively. The student blushed, ducking his head. "Sumimasen, Sensei. I didn't mean to interrupt you; it's just that I've known that song for so long..."

She shook her head, smiling at the clearly embarassed younger man. "No need for apologies, Ri-san. Very few people know that old one anymore; it's nice to see someone with a good taste in music. It's also nice to have a partner in playing; I'm a fair flutist, but I'm not much of a singer."

He chuckled. "I'm not much of either. I actually tried playing the flute for a year or two."

"Didn't like it?"

"Didn't like my teacher," he corrected. "Anyway, I was never very good. I'm not exactly musical, I guess."

"Oh, you're just being modest!" she laughed, patting the seat next to her in a silent invitation. "You've got an exquisite voice. That's half the reason I stopped playing, just so I could listen. The other half was that my mediocre playing sounded so terrible when accompanied by a first-class singer."

"Now you're the one being modest," he said with a smile, accepting the seat. "Sorry to interrupt you, by the way. I wanted to talk to you about the schoolwork today."

Tenshuru Asashi nodded, glancing down at the wooden instrument in her hands. Her smile seemed far away and dreamy. "It's an interesting song, don't you think? The tune is very upbeat and cheerful, but when you listen to the lyrics you realize that it's actual a story of sorrow. Contradictions are beautiful, don't you think?"

Houjun nodded, sighing drearily. "My life feels that way, right now," he muttered, more to himself than the teacher. He felt Asashi's eyes on him, watching him curiously. Deciding that this would be a good way to get the topic of his visions started, the young man went on. "On the surface - to my classmates, teachers and family - I look perfectly happy, just an average student with an average life. But when you take a closer look..." he frowned. Somehow, this wasn't going where he wanted it to go. "I guess I just can't find the answers to a lot of problems, problems that really need answers."

"Perhaps you aren't looking hard enough," the young teacher suggested casually.

"But how can I search when it hurts me and everyone around me so much?" he demanded helplessly. "The harder I look for the truth, the more pain it causes. How can I bear it? It'd be easier if the problems would just go away... just vanish and leave me alone..."

"The longer you run from things, the bigger they become," Asashi said in an off-hand manner, as if she were throwing the advice into the air to be taken at will, rather than shoving it into his hands.

"But I don't know _how to find the answers!" he insisted, knowing he must sound childish but unable to help it. "That's the whole problem! If someone, _anyone_, would help me, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad..." Houjun watched her. He had just planted the hint. Now to see if she would understand and help._

"In this case, I think the only person who can help you is you," she remarked. Tenshuru paused thoughtfully. "You're troubled. That's understandable." She thrust the flute into his hands, smiling encouragingly at her temporary student. "Here. You said you played for a few years. Let's see what you remember."

"Huh?" Houjun looked down at the instrument blankly, then back up at his teacher. "But I don't-"

"You'd be surprised how much music can relieve the soul. C'mon, just pick out some notes and fiddle around. Maybe things will seem a little brighter after you clear your mind and heart. It couldn't hurt to try, could it?"

Not sure why he was following her advice, Houjun picked the instrument up somewhat clumsily, fingers seeking out the right positions. "Da... is this right?" Asashi chuckled and nodded. "Okay, I'll give it a try... but don't get angry when your eardrums start bleeding..."

As Tenshuru's cheerful laugh filled the room, the young man put the small flute to his lips and blew. Gently, gently, that nasty Sensei always used to snap at him. He trilled a couple of scales quickly, surprised that he could remember the fingering positions and the notes that accompanied them. There was A, and G, B, C, F, D-sharp...

The young man picked out some of the notes, playing by ear and trying to match his tune to another. Before Houjun knew it, he was playing a light-hearted, happy little song on the instrument, one with no words but plenty of feeling. He twiddled through the simple tune a couple of times, then smiled a little and set the flute down. "Hm. I guess I still remember a few things after all. That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Asashi shook her head fiercely. "Not at all. In fact, it was pretty good." He offered the instrument back to her, which she accepted willingly. "I've never heard that song before. What is it? Where did you hear it?"

"I..." Houjun paused, looking down at the floor. He felt as if he had heard the piece before, as if it had drifted back to him on a distant memory, but now that he thought about it he couldn't place the tune with a name, or even the face of the original player. "I'm not sure..."

**_FLASH!_**

_A young man smiled at his new companions, holding up his instrument in an offering. "Would you like me to play a song for you? It might help the time go by a little faster, while we're waiting for nightfall."_

_"Might's well."_

_"Sounds like a good idea no da."_

_"Oh, please do, Chiriko!" a girl in a foreign outfit squealed. "Play that happy, pretty one! It'll get me excited about seeing Tamahome this evening, and make me think about how wonderful it'll be!"_

_The entire company sweatdropped at her enthusiasm. "H-hai, Miaka-san..."_

Houjun shook his head, putting his fingers to his eyebrow in an attempt to massage the blaze of pain away. "Ite..."

**_FLASH!_**

_The same young man from before bowed in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chichiri-san. I'm Chiriko."_

_"Yoroshiku no da," he said carefully. He studied the new seishi curiously. There was something a little odd about the feel of his life force, something not quite right..._

_Chiriko, as he called himself, straightened once more, holding up his flute with a smile. "My power stems from music. If you'd like, I can play a song. Any requests?"_

_He returned the smile, worries vanishing in an instant. This newcomer had found Miaka, had saved her, in fact. He had no right no suspect him of something that had never happened. "I don't suppose you know 'Hoshi no Namida,' do you no da?"_

"Ri-san?" Tenshuru put a hand on his arm, bringing him back to reality with a snap. "Is everything all right? Are you in a lot of pain? Should I get Ryuichi-sensei, or, oh..."

Houjun shook his head, squinting up at the young teacher through his unhampered eye. "Iie. I'm fine, Sensei. It's just a small one." He paused for a moment, winced slightly, then ran a hand through his messy bangs and looked back up. "See? It's gone already."

"If you say so..." Asashi drew her arm away from his, glancing down at the floor. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, you know. That's probably what's bringing about those headaches."

Houjun frowned, surprised by her statement simply because it was the same thing everyone else had told him. _'She has to be lying,'_ he thought to himself, setting his jaw stubbornly. _'She has_ to be the answer to my problems! If I can't find some kind of peace from her, then where am I supposed to find it?'__

Refusing to believe that his lead had been a false one, the young man looked at her intently for a moment, trying to peer through her look of simple concern. He couldn't be wrong about this. His headaches returning, her appearance... no, it couldn't be a coincidence. It couldn't! 

"They say that people under a lot of pressure can sometimes get dizzy spells, headaches, nausea, that kind of thing. Ryuichi-sensei mentioned that you were aiming for the kakyo at the end of the year. Is that right?"

Houjun blinked, then sighed and nodded. She was just like everyone else. Concerned, giving friendly advice in an attempt to help. In other words, useless. Wonderful. "Sou," he answered half-heartedly, feeling like a child whose favourite toy had just been broken, and no one knew how to fix it.

Tenshuru didn't seem to notice his sullen mood. She chuckled. "I was a little surprised, to be honest. You don't seem like the type to be interested in politics; the moment I saw you I sensed you as more the artistic, free-spirited type. And after hearing you singing today... did you ever think about getting into a different career? It might be a little less stressful, and more suited to your aura."

Houjun shook his head. "I've been planning to take that test since I was a kid; it's practically a tradition in my family."

"Oh, so you like that sort of thing?"

A shrug. "I don't know. Like I said, I never gave much thought to any other career. I know it'll make my father happy, to see me do what he and my grandfather and so on did."

"Well, yes, but do you _enjoy it?" Tenshuru pried. "It's no good doing something just to please others, you know. The only person you have to live with forever is yourself, and if you can't make __them happy then you really are in trouble."_

"I don't _dislike it," he said uneasily. When had the subject turned to his future? No one had ever questioned his decision about his career before; hell, even _he_ had not questioned his decision. It was just something that had always been, something that he had lived his whole life knowing and accepting, without wondering if maybe it was the wrong choice. But now that Tenshuru brought it up..._

"Houjun! Houjun, are you still here?" Kouran poked her head around the doorframe, frowning impatiently in his direction. "Goodness, how long does it take to get a little catch-up work? We're going to be late for the cram session if you don't hurry."

"Ah, gomen." Houjun stood quickly, turning his thoughts away from his sudden indecisiveness and towards what really mattered. "I need to leave, Tenshuru-sensei. Can you give me that assignment now?"

"Of course," Asashi took out a small quill pen, scribbling the homework and a quick explanation of what he needed to do on a piece of parchment. "Here," she handed him the paper. "It's due tomorrow. Have fun studying."

Kouran laughed from the doorway. "If that's possible." She took a few steps into the room, grabbing Houjun by the hand and pulling him with uncharacteristic harshness towards the door. "See you tomorrow, Tenshuru-sensei."

The young teacher nodded, smiling and waving at the pair of students. As they reached the doorway, her voice made Houjun stop for another short moment. "Oh, and Ri-san?" He turned, meeting her mysterious emerald eyes with his own mahogany ones. There seemed to be a thousand inner meanings in her next words, though he was ignorant to what those meanings could be. "If you ever want to turn from this chosen path and follow your own star, don't be afraid to come see me. I'd be delighted to help."

Houjun blinked in surprise, opening his mouth to reply, but Kouran was tugging on his arm and he did not want to make her wait. With a quick nod, the young man turned and followed his beloved out of the strange teacher's room and into the familiar reality of the building's halls.

***

"I don't think you should hang around with that Tenshuru woman too much."

Lost in his own confused thoughts and questions, it took Houjun a minute for Kouran's statement to completely sink in. The two of them were walking home, after a mind-numbing cram session at Shigure's house, and the cold chill of night had already sunk upon the village. The young man shivered a little, asking almost automatically, "Why do you say that?"

There was almost no moon that evening, and Kouran's face was cast into shadows, expression unreadable. "I just... I just don't like her. There's something about her that's unusual... something that I don't trust." The young woman looked away, biting her lip nervously. "I just don't think you should get too friendly with her, that's all."

Houjun chuckled a little, trotting out in front of his friend and turning so he could look at her. He smiled teasingly, using his old childhood nickname for her. "What's wrong, Koujo-sama? What forces you to put such a harsh ban upon one of your loyal subjects? Are you worried that I might get stolen away?" the young man ran a hand through his blue bangs, grinning devilishly at his beloved in the moonlight. "I know it must be hard, being together with someone as dashingly handsome as myself, but you have to have faith a little in me."

Kouran scowled, stomping up to him in mock irritation and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're in for a trip to the imperial dungeons if you don't stop using that silly nickname!"

The young man laughed, throwing a wink in her direction. There was no one around, after all, so it was all right for him to be a little flirtatious. "The dungeons, hm? Is that some kind of code?" He crossed the distance between the pair quickly, putting his arms hesitantly around the woman's waist. "Trying to tell me something, Koujo-sama?"

She giggled a little. "Hikou's right: you _are_ an incurable pervert." There was a small pause in their conversation as Houjun reached down to gently press his lips against hers. He pulled back quickly, always so careful, always worried that he would lose himself in passion and cross a boundary that did not want to be crossed. Kouran wished she could tell him there were no boundaries she did not want him to cross, but it was not in her nature to be straight-forward anymore than it was in his nature to be pushy in their relationship. 

The young woman looked up at him, still frowning a little. "Seriously, though, please don't get too close to her."

"She's harmless," Houjun assured her. "And anyway, I'm not interested in Tenshuru-sensei in that way. Really."

He tried to kiss her again, wanted to feel that fire race between them again, but Kouran was insistent. "It's not you I'm worried about. It's her. The way she kept looking at you today... I didn't like it. It made me feel... I don't know." The young woman looked down, face cloaked in late-night shadows. "Please, Houjun. Just don't get too friendly."

Houjun frowned, hugging his beloved. He hesitated for a split second, torn between his desire to understand his headaches - he was not completely convinced that Asashi didn't know something, not after her final comment - and his loyalty to Kouran. His indecisiveness did not last long. "All right," he said after a minute. "If she makes you uncomfortable, then I'll avoid her as much as I do Ryuichi-sensei. More, even." 

Kouran chuckled. "To do that, you'd have to live on a different planet." She looked up at him once more, brown eyes reflected in his mahogany ones. "But thanks. You took a lot of stress off my shoulders with that promise."

He returned the smile, leaning his forehead against hers. "Glad I could help, but you really shouldn't worry about that kind of thing. You know I'd never leave you like that, Kou-"

The young man never finished his sentence. Visions flashed in front of his eyes in a rapid blur, moving so quickly that he felt almost dizzy. Houjun gripped Kouran's dress tightly, grasping for stability, for a foothold, for anything... 

There was no pain, not this time; there was no need for pain. The images were worse than pain could ever be. The images that whirled through his mind, conveying a story of betrayal in quick, chopping fragments. He could not understand the full story, was unable to understand the details or reasons or emotions behind the visions, so fast were they whizzing by. But he did not need to understand it completely. It was enough. Somehow, it was enough.__

_Friendship._

_Love._

_Engagement._

_Jealousy._

_Lust._

_Embrace._

_Kiss. _

_Hikou. _

_Kouran._

_Witness._

_Running._

_Betrayal._

_Tears._

Kouran looked up at her beloved, brown orbs widening at the look of fear in his blank mahogany eyes. "Houjun? Houjun, what is it? What's wrong?"

The young man did not appear to hear her. He slid numbly to the ground, knees in the dewy grass and hands still grasping tightly to Kouran's dress. He stared straight ahead, apparently at nothing, apparently at everything, helpless to stop the images from repeating in his mind, flashing their repetitive dance like a nightmarish broken record. 

_Friendship. Love. Engagement. Jealousy. _

No, no, it couldn't be true... how could it possibly be true...? 

_Lust. Embrace. Kiss._

Fragments of a memory, fragments of the future, fragments of a broken heart...

_Hikou. Kouran. Witness._

"What... what is this...?" he whispered quietly. "How could this... how could they...?" 

_Running. Questions. Betrayal._

Kouran knelt next to her beloved, holding his shoulders tightly in her hands. Eyes unfocused, he looked through her, like she wasn't there, mind a thousand miles and twenty-one years away. She felt her eyes well up with tears. Was this what Hikou had been talking about? Had he seen this same look of unbearable pain, disbelief, sheer terror in their friend's eyes? Unbearable emotions that _they had caused, all in a foolish moment of lust and passion...!? How could she endure it? Kouran held him, sobbing her sorrow into his shoulder. "Houjun, oh, Houjun, forgive me... please forgive me..."_

Her words fell on deaf ears. Twin rivulets of salt water ran from the young man's haunted eyes, eyes that were being forced to view a continuous a nightmare, a nightmare that he did not believe, _could not _believe, and yet felt as if he had no other choice but to believe. Because everything, all of it... all of it had already happened. "H...How...?"

And still, the visions continued.

_Tears._

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: September 27, 2003; 12:00 AM_

Hao, minna-san!  
May I just say that I am _so_ happy I decided not to post this story until I had written well into the first Movement? If I hadn't, I doubt that I'd be getting chapters out every two _months_, let alone two weeks! And I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't some kind of schoolwide conspiracy that's keeping me from my writings... those rotten teachers. (No, I swear, I'm not really this paranoid. I mean, it's not _my_ fault everyone's out to get me! *Sweatdrop*)

**Random Chapter Comments**: Yeah, that's right folks, "Hoshi no Namida," the attempt at poetry/song writing that Houjun sings, is my own work. Be gentle in your criticism. >. And, you know, I was thinking, it was really, really mean of me to leave you with that cliffhanger ending, wasn't it? I do apologize. That doesn't mean I'm going to change it, though. It's no fun if the readers don't squirm a little. But I _do_ feel bad about it. That doesn't help things, though, does it?  
Oh, yes, and I would also like to thank my Freshman Health teacher for the line: "The only person you have to live with forever is yourself, and if you can't make them happy then you really are in trouble." She continued to say a version of that throughout the year, and it became engraved in my brain... whether I wanted it there or not. ^_^;

**Answering Reviews** First off, I'd like to say a big "howdy" to Space Cat-san and Wingstar-san for joining the RFS "Review Crew." *Laughs* Your words always put a little spring to my step and a twinkle to my eye. And no, I'm not kidding. ^.^ Moving on:  
_On Wingstar-san's remark about Tenshuru:_ So, were you right, or wrong? I'm curious to hear if you had a particular theory or not - it's always fun to hear analyzations (and fun to write them - isn't that right, Val-chan? *grin*).

_Question of the Week_ How come during the Kutou War, Suboshi had to run along on the ground?! Doesn't he even get a horse? Furthermore, how in the world did he keep up with Nakago, who was _on a horse_? I thought Tasuki was the seishi with speed...

**Verse Preview?** One of what will soon be known as my infamous CDCs (Character Development Chapters), which is a short way of saying a chapter that has nothing to do with the plot but is ultimately _essential_ to the story in order for the plot to have a full background. Ponder on that over the next two weeks, why don't you? In the meantime, I'll be working on my American History notes (grr)...

Drowning in Homework,   
Dee ~_^ 


	12. Verse Ten: Enrai

-FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

Jayde Search:  


_

**Verse Ten: Enrai  
--Distant Thunder--**

_

"Crimson kisses in the half-cooled warmth  
Dance like fleeting shadows, one night's play.  
It's okay if you forget all about it as your heart knows  
But your body can't erase this burning wound."  
~Weiss Kreuz; "White Flames"~

The moon, covered by a veil of clouds that promised rain, held watch over the two lone teenagers as they made their way across the street towards the house on the far side. The pair ducked under the awning of the small but well-kept home, holding hands tightly and leaning their tear-stained faces against the wood of the door. Only then, cloaked by the shadows of night, did they allow themselves to sink to the ground, one of them still sobbing brokenly.

Kouran watched her beloved, reaching out a hand to brush away his tears. He shied away, turning his face from her like a beaten dog to its abusive owner. It wrung her heart, to see him so lost. The young woman persisted, cupping his chin in one of her thin hands. "Houjun, Houjun, please. You don't have to talk about...whatever. I understand. But you have to calm down. Whatever you saw, whatever horrible thing it was, it's all right. It's not going to happen. I'm here. And I'm not going to leave you. So please, _please_, Houjun, at least look at me."

Ashamed at the tears he could not halt, the young man turned his haunted eyes upwards until they met his beloved's soft, chocolate brown ones. He took a long, shuddering breath, trying to stop himself from crying. Above, thunder rumbled ominously, a sure sign of the downpour that was certain to come.

Houjun opened his mouth, tried to say something to ease Kouran's worries, to at least show that, physically, he was all right. But the image of her, locked tightly in the arms of his best friend, their mouths pressed against one another invaded all his thoughts, forced him to turn away again. A drop of water hit his foot, which was not fully protected by the awning above. He shivered, though it wasn't from cold. "Kou...Kouran..." he managed to say between his helpless, gasping breaths. "I need to get home. It's going to storm."

She looked at him hard for a moment, trying to figure out what had possessed him to say something like that. After all he had just been through, after the terrible forgotten memories she knew he must have viewed, he was concerned about getting wet? Kouran brushed away some of his tears, holding his head in her hands for a moment and drawing close, so her forehead was against his. "Stay here. We can talk. I can stay by your side, so if it comes again you won't have to bear it alone. So it'll be all right."

"No," he said quietly. He wanted to add, _'It won't be all right. It'll never be all right again. No matter how close you are to me, there's no way you can help me bear it. Not after that,'_ but all he said was, "My parents will be worried. They get nervous when I'm out late - that's the kind of people they are." 

He pulled back, forcing himself to stand, forcing himself to shoulder his own pain, his own nightmare. Houjun stumbled, the fatigue from tears and emotions dragging heavily on his legs. Kouran jumped to her feet, reaching out an arm to help him stand; to help him live. "Houjun-"

_His eyes widened in shock, hairpin he had bought for Kouran falling from his numb grasp and into the soft, spring grass below. Mouth open in a silent shout, he pulled back sharply, hiding himself behind a tree. He clasped and unclasped his hands helplessly by his sides, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, certain the noise would give away his location and not caring. It had to be some kind of mistake...some kind of sick joke...they couldn't have...they couldn't__ have..._

Houjun jerked his arm free of Kouran's hold, wincing at the memory he had not known he possessed. "I can walk," he rasped harshly. The young man grimaced, seeing the hurt in his love's eyes and desperately wanting to apologize. But the visions were too clear in his mind, the betrayal too sharply etched on his heart. He straightened his shoulders, shaking his head to clear it of the wicked, taunting images, and focused on reality. __

_But what the hell was reality anymore...?_

"Oyasumi, Kouran," he whispered, voice still husky from crying. Then, without word from the wide-eyed, guilt-stricken Kouran, Houjun took off down the street just as the first drops of rain began to speckle the darkened landscape of Kyokujitsu Village. 

Kouran watched him go, pain and grief easily read in her chocolate-brown orbs. She had come so far, risked so much, and now it looked like her efforts were going to be swept aside as easily as the raindrops that spattered incessantly on the thin streets of her reborn village. Water built up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed it away. No. She would not weep. She was undeserving of tears.

The young woman clenched a fist at her side, turning her hurt into anger and shedding her hate vehemently on the three people in the world whom she despised more than anything. She threw invisible curses at Hikou, whose passion had destroyed lives; raged wordless threats at Tenshuru, the woman who had triggered Houjun's visions to reappear, now more violently than ever. Above all, though, she swore quietly into the night air all the cruel words and phrases she knew, all the tortures and punishments befitting the woman who had shattered her beloved's heart.

"Kouran, you bitch. You stupid, useless slut..." 

***

Houjun, soaked from the steady downpour and not caring, quietly swung open the door of his house. Out of habit he slipped out of his muddy shoes, leaving them to dry by the door; then, pushing his drenched bangs out of his eyes, started silently through the house towards his room.

"Houjun?"

The young man didn't bother to hide his weariness as the door to the sitting room opened inwards, shedding light into the darkened kitchen. He squinted against the sudden brightness, mahogany orbs watching as his father's own, similarly-colored eyes widened in surprise. "Gods, you're a mess. Where have you been, anyway? Your mother's been going crazy."

"There was a cram session at Shigure-kun's house," he muttered, making his way across the kitchen and towards the hall that led to his bedroom. He had to get out of here, had to find some place where he could just be alone. "I'm kinda tired, so d'you mind...?"

Ri Shinsei was across the room in an instant, letting the door swing shut behind him and once again cloaking the room in evening shadows. "We heard about the cram session from the neighbors' kids, but that was supposed to be over a long time ago. What in the world took you so long?" 

"I got... held up a little. D'you think we could talk about this in the morning?" Houjun asked, praying that he could keep the edge out of his voice. "I really need to get some sleep."

His father cleared his throat, trying to find a delicate way to talk about this. "Ano... listen, Houjun, I know what it's like to be a kid. What with exams, and the future, and girlfriends, it can be a little overwhelming. I dealt with the same kind of thing."

"I seriously doubt that you-"

"Ah, Yukari, you shouldn't have made me get into this with him..." the older man, clearly uncomfortable, rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, that with the pressure you're feeling... if you feel the need to go out and, oh, I dunno, hit the bars or go off with Kouran someplace... well I won't exactly be happy but I'll understand. Just make sure you let us know when you're going to be out late, so you're mother won't worry about you, all right?"

Houjun felt his quick temper sparking. All he wanted to do was be left alone, left alone to cry or curse or whatever it was he needed to do to relieve himself of the ache in his heart, and he couldn't even be allowed that one simple luxury. He barked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "You're kidding right? You think I'm into that thing? You think I have _time_ for that shit?" Shinsei jumped, surprised by the uncharacteristic vulgarity. The young man whirled on his father, putting a defensive hand to his chest. "All I've been doing is studying for school, so I can get perfect grades and get a perfect career so you can be perfectly happy with your perfect son! I haven't even _thought_ about sex, much less had it! Now can I _please_ just go to my room!?"

He whirled to head to his room, but Shinsei's disgustingly calm and worried voice made him pause. "Houjun... what's wrong? Did something happen at school?"

Outside, thunder rolled like a warning. Houjun gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself from unleashing the pressurized feeling in his chest. "Everything's fine. I'm just wet and tired and overworked. Now would you-?"

"Your mother told me about those headaches of yours," he remarked quietly, almost as if he had not heard his son. "She said they were pretty hard, on you and the family. She also said they were probably induced by stress, and-"

"Dammit, Otoo-san, this has nothing to _do_ with stress!" Houjun snapped impatiently, stomping down the hall with his father close on his heels. "The only problem is that I'm getting rattled with questions that aren't even important!" Nothing was important anymore, after all. Not after what he had seen. Not after that premonition, that memory, that wrenching betrayal of trust, love, and friendship. Everything else was nothing compared to that. "Now, I'm going to bed. Why don't you do the same thing? Okaa-san's missed you for the past couple weeks, you know."

Shinsei put a hand lightly on his son's damp shoulder, attempting one last time to connect with the obviously distraught young man. He meant well with his words, but he still wound up misreading his son's bedraggled state. "If you're working too hard, if the kakyo is putting too much pressure on you... it's okay if you want to take a break. I mean, you don't have to study twenty-four seven for that thing. Heck, I worked half as hard as you do, and I still managed to slip by, so-"

That was it. Houjun flared bright crimson for a split second, so fast that he wasn't even aware of it. "_Fuck_ the damned kakyo!" He put a hand on the door of his room, opening it sharply and flinging his father's hand off his shoulder. He snapped one last, vicious remark into Shinsei's well-meaning but oblivious face. "Why didn't you just stay at the damned capital!?"

Outside the window, a bolt of lightning cracked dangerously close to the house; at the same time, all the nearby shutters slammed open, sending blasts of rain-spattered air into several of the rooms. Houjun slammed the door of his room shut tightly behind him, noticing the shutters flapping against his windows. The young man tossed off his wet clothing onto a nearby chair, waving a hand at the windows as if to shut them with the action alone; he was too distraught to notice that the motion had done just that. 

As the storm raged on outside his room he angrily got into a loose shirt and pants - his basic sleepwear - dried out his soaked hair, and slipped the almost never-used latch on his door into place. He wasn't going to be disturbed tonight, come hell or high water. By the time he crawled dejectedly under his covers, however, still shivering at the clammy cold that clung to his skin, his anger had evaporated and been replaced by a feeling closer to shame. 

The problem with his bad moods was that they never lasted long. Yukari used to compare his temper to a firecracker: quick to light, burn and explode, but fizzling out soon after. Except Houjun doubted that firecrackers ever had to deal with the regret and pain _their_ explosions might have caused.

He sighed, pulling the thick, quilted blanket tightly around his body and closing his eyes. He almost never fought with his father, and he could never remember a time when he had snapped at him so fiercely. But Shinsei had been so insistent, just kept after him as if he had done something that _needed_ to be talked over, as if he had never stayed out past sunset before!  And it wasn't like he hadn't warned him, wasn't like he hadn't asked numerous times if he could just go to bed... gods, he was going to get it in the morning, if not from his father than from his mother. If there was one thing she hated, it was disrespect, and he had just given Shinsei a full dosage of it. 

If they knew his reasons, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to deal out punishment. But how could he ever explain to them his reasons...?

Houjun shivered again, pulling the quilt closer to his thin, tired body and deciding he just needed to rest. Rest to calm his heart, to clear his head, to force those horrible memories out of his mind. He'd make up some excuse for his behavior in the morning. After all, he never acted like that, he reminded himself sleepily, already drifting lazily into slumber. He never talked to his father that way, never got angry and said those vicious things. As he fell into a state somewhere between slumber and consciousness, he tried to remember the last time he had done something like that...__

_Houjun slammed open the door to his home, storming across the house in a flurry of quick, enraged footsteps. Now that the shock had worn off, now that the disbelief and self-pity and blame had passed him by, he felt nothing but anger - anger, and a need for retribution. _

_The young man turned the corner of his kitchen sharply, heading on a beeline for his room, and ran straight into his father. Houjun frowned, looking down at the floor so his father wouldn't see his red-rimmed eyes, and tried to push his way past._

_Shinsei chuckled a little, grasping a strong hand to his son's shoulder. "Woah, Houjun, what's the hurry? Going somewhere special?"_

_Yeah, he thought, fuming silently. I'm going to confront the bastard who had the nerve to call himself my friend. Out loud, he kept his voice as calm as possible, searching for the best answer he could give. "Not really. I'm just going down to the market to meet Hikou, Shigure-kun, and some other guys." _

_Which wasn't a complete lie, he reminded himself. That was where that bastard usually hung out during the spring holidays, and he was _going to find him, even if the meeting would be a surprise.__

_"Well, you might want to change your plans," Shinsei remarked. He glanced out the window at the dark black clouds rolling their direction. "Looks like there's a big storm coming in. Everyone's saying it could get nasty. We're preparing for the worst, anyway. Come on, you can help your brother board up the windows..."_

_"I don't exactly have time for that," Houjun explained, pushing past his father and stalking going through the open doorway of his room. "It's getting late. I have to get down there before they leave." No way was he going to get away with this. Houjun wouldn't let him get away with this._

_Shinsei frowned, standing in the doorway of his son's room with one hand placed skeptically on the frame. "If they've got any sense, then your friends are back home helping their__ families get ready for this thing. You'll have plenty of other chances to talk to them."_

_"This is important," he insisted, rummaging around in his drawers for... he didn't know what he was looking for, now that he thought about it. An answer, maybe? Something that would assure him that none of this could possibly be happening, that Kouran hadn't just told him... that she and Hikou weren't..._

_Damn it, why couldn't they have just told him from the beginning!? He would have been envious, perhaps, and certainly disappointed that she had chosen his best friend over him, but happy for them nonetheless. He would have even understood. But when it happened this way... when they made him think he had a chance with such a perfect woman, and then ripped out all his hopes and beliefs..._

_Houjun's hand came into contact with the smooth, wooden handle of a knife. He had bought the weapon a few years ago, after he had obtained an interest in fishing, but had soon gotten too busy to have time for the relaxing habit. He vaguely realized that the knife had other, more dangerous purposes; scarcely knowing what he was doing, he pulled the weapon out of his drawer. Making sure his father couldn't see, he stuffed the blade viciously into his belt, a prelude of the violence that would occur that evening. By gods, he'd make Hikou pay for this betrayal with blood __if he had to!_

_The young man turned to leave, but found his father blocking his path. Houjun met the older, taller man's eyes, setting his jaw stubbornly. "I could be out for a while," he said. "I'll come home if the weather gets really bad."_

_Shinsei frowned curiously at his son, trying to figure out what in the world could be so important. After a moment, he chuckled a little, eyes alight with understanding. "Oh, gods! Don't tell me the boys are holding some kind of impromptu party for you? Celebrating your engagement down at one of the market bars, hm?"_

_At the sound of the word "engagement," Houjun lost whatever self-control he might have possessed. His eyes brimmed with tears of anger and frustration. "Damn it!" he snapped, voice breaking on his next words. "There is__ no engagement! That bastard ruined everything! Everything...!"_

_The young man pushed roughly past his father, breaking into a fast walk and going for the front door. Shinsei tried to open his mouth to speak, tried to follow his son across the room and figure out what was going on, but he found himself powerless to move. His entire body was frozen to the spot, gripped by a force neither father nor son were aware of. He watched helplessly as Houjun opened and slammed the door behind him, leaving the place of his birth for the final time..._

Houjun came awake with a start, blinking in surprise. "Where...?" he asked thickly, unable to get the rest of the words out, unable to explain his confusion to the night air. 

He should not have remembered that, he thought numbly, shivering in spite of his blankets. How could you remember something that had never happened? More importantly, he added desperately to himself, more like a plea than a fact, how could you remember something that was never _going_ to happen? And what had he meant when he thought to himself, with a hint of regret, _'Those were the last words I ever said to him.' The last words!? But his father wasn't... surely, his father wouldn't..._

The young man felt a shudder trace its way up his spine. He pulled his covers even closer around his chin, as if he could block out the rainy chill and the icy memories with the soft, warm material. Houjun closed his eyes tightly, trying to shake away the feeling of nostalgia that he seemed to be getting so often these days. It wasn't just nostalgia, though, he reminded himself. In fact, it was a lot more than that. It was more like a feeling that something was terribly wrong in his life, that things shouldn't be happening like this. But why would he be getting that feeling in the first place...?

The violent wind struck sharply against his shutters, causing them to rattle in an eerie rhythm with the rain outside. He frowned, ducking his head under the covers. He used to like the rain - or, at least, it had never bothered him before. Tonight, however, it seemed to almost heighten his sense of disquiet. Without meaning to, he felt himself straining to gain back the things he felt he had lost-

_Lightning flashed across the sky overhead, followed shortly by several sharp cracks of thunder. Rain pounded mercilessly to the ground and into the swelled river, torrents of water striking the land and homes of Kyokujitsu Village, as well as the figures of two young men grappling on the waterbank. _

_One of them was clearly taking the defensive, not even attempting to fight against the other. He had a strong hand on the other man's wrist, trying to keep the seeking knife away from his body. His eyes shone with the regret of a man who had lost everything and had only himself to blame, and the desperation of a man who wanted to live, even if he knew he did not deserve it. Blood ran freely from a small cut on his cheek - no doubt the work of the blade - though he barely seemed to notice it._

_He gasped out the name of his old friend and new enemy, trying to bring his former companion back to himself before they were both destroyed. "Hou... jun..."_

Houjun's mahogany orb snapped open, cutting off the vision. He stared hard into the shadows of his room, trying to confirm what he had just seen. It had been Hikou, on the riverbank. During a flood, it must have been. And he...he had taken a knife to his friend... attacked him, even... even _hurt_ him! Just like in that image before, the one from the night when Hikou had slept at his house! Except this time it was so much worse, so many times worse.

The memories were no longer void of emotions. This one reeked of anger, hate, perhaps even something borderlining madness. They were all just cover-ups, though, just forms of the predominating feeling that filled his heart and mind, that made his chest ache. It was the overwhelming sensation of unbearable pain. Pain, and betrayal.

"Hikou..." he whispered, needles shooting into his heart at the name and the visions that came with it. "Kouran..." the lance drove deeper, burying itself into the very cavity of his soul, and taking the image of a passion-filled kiss along, to be implanted forever in the depths of his being.

The young man shuddered heavily, caught between the two points of his truths. He refused to believe what he saw, yet he couldn't deny it anymore than he could deny himself. They were imbedded too deeply in his mind, fused too closely to his heart for any of these new memories to be fake. The emotions were too vivid, too real to be a product of a failing mind. Somehow, it was all true. Somehow, it could never be true.

Houjun buried his head into his pillow because he could find no other answers and tried to fall asleep. 

***

There was no sunrise over Kyokujitsu the next day. Rain still poured like weeping from the dark clouds in the sky, blocking out any real sunlight and forcing children and adults alike to bring whatever kind of clothing they had out of storage to use on their ways to work and school. The schoolyard was full of people splashing through the puddles, wide hats or hooded cloaks keeping their heads dry from the chill, autumn storm. Others who were not so lucky to have protection from the rain could be found ducking in and out of the awnings of houses, trying to prolong the inevitable soaking.

Hikou, who was one of these unlucky few, had learned a long time ago that trying to stay dry without a hood was like trying to stay warm in a snowstorm without clothes. He gave up on the ducking technique long before he reached the secondary school, sprinting for the doors and waiting for Kouran and Houjun to meet him there. The three of them had an unspoken agreement on rainy days, which was quite simply that it was every man for himself and they'd catch up to one another once they got inside. Unaware of the events of the night before, he leaned against the wall and waited for his friends to show up.__

Well, maybe it would be better to say friend, he thought, wishing his clothes would dry faster so he could stop shivering. He couldn't really put it into a plural, seeing as how Kouran loathed him so much. Maybe he couldn't even call Houjun a friend. After all, with his memories wiped he had no reason to hate Hikou, but in the real world of the living, who knew? It certainly wouldn't surprise him - gods knew he probably deserved it - but he had always hoped...

_Hope. Ach, now _there_ was a troublesome word. He had _hoped_ his father would just go to bed when he came home drunk, instead of turning his anger on his young son. He had _hoped_ that Kouran would pretend that one, passion-filled kiss had never happened. He had __hoped that Houjun would pull him up from the river before the current took him; hell, he had even dared to __hope that by some strange mix-up he would be allowed into heaven after everything he had done. Yeah, hoping was a nice way to screw yourself over. It was better to prepare and work things out, so you wouldn't have any need for hope._

Hell, he thought with a wry chuckle, preparation hadn't worked either. Didn't seem to matter what he did, he always wound up with the short end of the stick. Hikou ran a hand through his midnight blue hair, remembering the one time he had managed to succeed, even if it had been in defeat. In losing to Chichiri - sometimes he wondered if he hadn't done it on purpose - he had somehow managed to save his soul from an eternity in Hell. 

But even that was a lie, wasn't it? Really, hadn't it been Houjun - Chichiri - Houjun - damn it - hadn't he been the one to save his soul? All Hikou had done was attempt to ruin his friend's life again, but somehow Houjun had still loved him, and had been willing to sacrifice himself to save his friends: including Hikou. That last, desperate action had been the only thing he had been able to comprehend; death was the only thing the damned understood. Suzaku, had he ever been a fool...

But none of that really mattered anymore. That Angel had gone to Kouran, asking for her help and his; and Kouran, in turn, had gone to Hikou. Had actually come to _him, the man whom she had spoken to perhaps once in all of their fifteen-odd years in the afterlife together. She had practically begged him to help Houjun, to _save_ Houjun, as she called it. Hikou had never been able to say "no" to her pleading eyes. _

Besides, maybe this would be a good way to make up for everything that had happened, if that were possible. Maybe Kouran would finally look at him with something besides blatant disgust. Maybe he could wipe that sad look out of Houjun's eyes - eye - eyes - damn it - once and for all. That look, the day of their last meeting, had really hit him. The way his best friend had cried for his death -actually _cried_, for the sinner who had screwed it all up! - gripped his hand right up until the end; the way love and sorrow seemed to pour from his single mahogany eye...

_'If this helps him, then it'll be worth it,' he thought to himself, nodding decisively. He bit his lip, wishing he could shake off his feeling of reluctance about the whole thing. _'But gods, Houjun, you seemed pretty close with those seishi friends of yours. Has it really gotten so bad for you that death is now a blessing...?'__

"Hikou! Hikou-senpai!"

The young man jerked his head up, surprised by the call from a familiar, young voice. He peered through the steady downpour, watching as the second-oldest Ri child splashed his way to the doors of the building, keeping his eyes on Hikou the whole way. Mitsuru pulled to a hasty stop, pulling off his hat and bowing politely to the older man. "Ohayou, Hikou. Okaa-san told me to let you know that Nii-san isn't coming to school today, so don't bother waiting up. He's sick."

Hikou blinked in surprise. "He is? What's wrong?" he chuckled a little. "He stay out drinking last night or something? I can't leave that boy alone for a second, can I?"

"No, you can't," a new voice interrupted. Kouran marched up to the two young men, brown eyes hard with anger and determination. She forced a smile at Houjun's brother. "Thank you for delivering the news, Mitsuru. You'd better hurry to class, or you're going to be late."

He nodded and took off into the rain, on his way to the section of the secondary school that housed the younger students. As soon as he was out of hearing distance, Kouran whirled sharply on Hikou with hard eyes and a nervous voice. "He isn't sick - at least, not in the way most people think of sickness. I went over to his house this morning to check up on him, because of what happened yesterday, and his mother told me he said he didn't feel well. He won't get out of bed, and-"

"Wait, wait," Hikou held up a hand, ducking out of the way of the stream of students and gesturing for Kouran to do the same. "You're talking in riddles. What happened yesterday? He didn't have another headache or anything, did he?"

"There's a new teacher," Kouran explained as briefly as she could. Hikou knew how much she hated talking to him, even if it was about their close friend. "Tenshuru Asashi. I think it's the Angel's sister, the one she warned us about. She's trying to get Houjun to remember. I'm not sure how, but she managed to trigger one of his memory attacks. She got the whole thing started again. And then last night..." Kouran choked on her words, leaning her head against the side of the building. "Oh, gods, I thought he was going to lose it, that time. The look in his eyes, it was so horrible, like someone had just torn out his heart...and _I _helped do that to him...!?"

"What was it?" Hikou asked, almost afraid to know.

"What do you think!?" she snapped angrily. "What else _could_ it have been but _us_!? He didn't tell me, but it had to have been. He must have seen, he must have remembered... _that," she spat the word as if it were poison._

The young man resisted the urge to remind Kouran that, at the time, she had enjoyed the kiss just as much as he had. This was no time to be getting technical, after all. "Suzaku. Was it that bad?" she nodded, hugging herself tightly. Hikou put a hand to his forehead. "Maybe we should just call this off. This was supposed to relieve Houjun's pain, not cause him _more_ pain..."

Kouran punched a fist into Hikou's chest in a movement so swift the man barely saw it coming. The young woman's eyes flared raw hatred for a brief moment as she drew close enough to hiss in his ear. "You would say that, wouldn't you? You ruined everything else he ever had; why not ruin this as well, right?" the young man winced as if she had slapped him. "Well, here's an interesting bit of news, Hikou: I don't _care_ what you think anymore. You lost all say in my life twenty-one years ago, when you destroyed my future and Houjun's heart."

His own eyes turned downwards in defeat. She was right, after all; what right did he have to determine Houjun's fate, when he had already done so much harm? Still, he couldn't just stay silent and let his friend suffer. "What are we supposed to do, then?"

She took a step back, pulling her hand away from his chest and taking a deep breath. "_We are going to start taking shifts, so we can keep an eye on Houjun at all times. I don't want him getting one of those attacks without one of us close by." She straightened her dress, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We'll start doing that after school. In the meantime, I'm going to have a little chat with Tenshuru." Her brown orbs flashed dangerously. "Hopefully, it will help us solve a few problems."_

The young man nodded, flashing a small smile. "Your wish is my command, Koujo-sama."

His former friend scowled. "Save the jokes. Don't think that just because I'm doing this it means we're friends again. This is for Houjun's sake. I don't give a damn what happens to you." And with those final words she turned on her heel and left him amid the throng of students, off to complete her own private tasks.

It was so strange, the changes twenty-one years of regret and self-loathing could bring upon a person, Hikou mused. Kouran used to be such a kind-hearted, forgiving woman, before all of this had happened. Perhaps, more than anything he had taken away from his friends, he wished he could give the woman he loved back her innocence. She deserved at least that.

_'That's not possible, though,' he reminded himself, frowning and trudging to his classroom. _'So I guess, the best I can do now is just keep this act up. For both of their sakes. I just hope I'm not making the wrong choice...'__

Ah, but it was foolish to hope, wasn't it? 

***

Koji stared out one of the many windows in the Reikaku stronghold, sighing at the heavy downpour of rain that had decided to grace the mountain that day. The bandit co-leader had never particularly liked rain. It kept a person from going out and doing what they wanted to do, a feeling he had not experienced in large amounts since his days in school, years ago. And he had always hated school. Already, the tanned thief was starting to feel a little cooped-up.

"Well, so much fer goin' inta town an' pickin' up s'me supplies," he remarked to himself. "Guess we'll have t'work with what we got. No doubt Genji-kun'll still manage t'put t'gether a decent meal." The young bandit had recovered with surprising swiftness from his alleged "brush with death" from the day before, and was once again bustling about the kitchens with hardly a care in the world. Sometimes Koji wished he could be more like the youth, where his biggest problems were finding good recipes and pleasing his idols.

"On the bright side," he said to no one in particular. "At least we won't have t'deal with those Akutsuki members t'day. Ch, you'd have t'be crazy t'go out in any rainstorm, 'specially one in th' middle-a winter."

"You gotta be crazy, goin' out in any rainstorm, _'specially _one in th' middle-a winter!"

Koji blinked, putting a finger to his chin in confusion. "Eh, didn't I jus' say that...?" The bandit turned around, following the familiar voice to the familiar figure that owned it. Tasuki was stomping across the main room of the stronghold towards Koji, following a very determined-looking Hikaru. The Reikaku leader had a look of disbelief written clearly across his face; Koji wondered what was bothering him now. 

"You can argue with me as much as you want, Tasuki, but it won't do any good," Hikaru was saying as she neared the window where the tanned bandit was standing. "I told you yesterday that I would do this for the stronghold, and I don't plan on holding it off any longer. Suppose there was an attack sometime later today, and no one knew about it until it was too late? I can handle a bit of rain for the sake of everyone's safety."

Tasuki rubbed the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but..." he glanced out one of the nearby windows at the torrents of rain, wincing at the sight. Like his friend, he did not particularly care for rain, though for different reasons. "D'ya really think _anyone's _gonna attack in this shit? Ch, if we weren't on a mountain I'd think this storm'd flood us out..."

Koji, curious as to what the pair were debating about, walked over to where they stood near the entrance to the stronghold. "Eh, what's the problem Genrou, Hikaru-san? Anythin' I c'n do t'help?"

"Yeah," Tasuki agreed, jerking a thumb at the Asatenshi sister, "try talkin' some sense inta this nutcase's head. She actually wants t'try an' build that barrier thing in _this_ weather!"

"If I don't do it now I'm going to get busy and forget," Hikaru shot back. "I'm terrible about remembering things, even important things like this. And I'd never forgive myself if something happened to the stronghold because of my stupidity."

"Well did it ever cross yer mind that I'd never fergive _my_self if you got drowned tryin' t'help us?" Tasuki growled, too deep in his favorite activity - fighting - to realize he had just said something very kind.

The remark did not pass by Hikaru, nor Koji. The Asatenshi woman blushed a little, looking downwards in embarassment. The bandit co-leader's eyes flashed angrily for a brief moment, but he regained his self-control quickly. "I see where yer both comin' from. Genrou's prob'ly right, though. No one's gonna try an attack in this weather, an' even if they did it isn't worth riskin' yer life over. Jus' wait until it clears up a little, then you c'n take care of whatever it is you need."

Hikaru looked up, smiling a little at both bandits. "Thank you for your concern, both of you, but I really don't think I should. This morning, I did a quick search of the mountain and found enemy presences not too far from your territory, and I'm nervous that they'll move in without my noticing it. I really _must set up this barrier now, before anything happens to the stronghold. Please, Tasuki, Koji-san. I want to at least give a little back to the two of you."_

Koji opened his mouth to attempt another protest, but his bandit friend, who seemed to have realized it was a useless battle, cut him off with a shrug. "Ah, hell, fine then. But if yer gonna be like that..."

Hikaru eyes shone hopefully as she envisioned the scene that was certain to come next. _Tasuki grabbed her hands in his own, drawing her close and insisting that he come with her. He wouldn't dare allow her to risk herself in the harsh elements alone! He would come and be there to protect her, always! She smiled, holding out a hand and shaking her head fiercely. "Oh, Tasuki, no, you really shouldn't, I don't want you to be miserable on my account! You're too kind! Honestly, I'll be quite fine on my own!"_

 He raised a questioning eyebrow, watching the sister's display of imagined affection. "What th' hell're ya talkin' about?" the bandit took off his golden-yellow jacket and tossed it at the Asatenshi sister. "Wear this: it doesn't have a hood, but at least it'll keep some-a th' cold outta ya."

She opened her eyes, blinking as the garment flopped unceremoniously over her head. Hikaru smiled a little, but was unable to keep the disappointment out of her eyes as she wrapped the cloak around her thin form. "Arigatou, Tasuki."

"Yeah, well, I don't want ya comin' back half-drowned and whinin' t'me about how yer cold 'n' sick 'n' it's all my fault," he explained in his typical, grumbling way. "Jus' don't get it all muddy 'r anythin' - that's th' best jacket I got."

Hikaru nodded, bowing quickly and flashing a smile of appreciation. "Mata arigatou [Thanks again]. I'll be extra careful with it, I promise."

"Right, right," he remarked with a shrug, turning on his heel and beginning to walk to where some of the bandits were gambling. "I got a lotta stuff t'do, so I'll see ya when ya get back, I guess. Talk to ya later, Hikaru, Koji."

Koji watched him go, sighing a little. "Genrou, yer hopeless." He turned back to the sister. "Wait here; I'll be back in a minute." Hikaru did as he said, watching as he jogged down a short corridor of Reikaku towards his room. The bandit was back shortly, toting a flexible, straw-woven mat under one arm. He flashed a smile at the young woman. "Now _this_ will keep ya dry!" he proclaimed, holding the material out like an offering.

The young woman smiled, bowing to show her gratitude once again. "Arigatou, Koji-san. Between this and Tasuki's jacket I'll be as warm and dry as possible. I really hate getting wet," she admitted, "so this is a blessing for me."

The co-leader frowned a little, opening the main door a small crack and peeking outside. The rain still came down heavily, flattening the dead, winter grass that surrounded the stronghold. The clouds that hung overhead were thick, too, and it may as well have been dusk rather than the middle of the day. Koji shivered as a harsh breeze whipped through the door, ruffling his dark hair and seeping into his clothes. "You _sure_ you don't wanna reconsider?"

"I couldn't," she told him bluntly. "Once I start something, I have to finish it right away. I'm too single-minded for my own good, I guess."

"Too stubborn, too," he remarked under his breath. The bandit opened the door wider, smiling and unrolling the makeshift umbrella. He held the mat above their heads, drawing close to the young woman so they would both be sheltered. "Well, all right then. Shall we get started?"

Hikaru blinked. "Eto...'we', Koji-san?"

"Sure," he agreed, stepping out into the storm and gesturing with his head for her to follow. "It ain't jus' wet 'n' cold out here, y'know; it's dark, an' yer a newcomer t'the mountain. Ya might get lost, tryin' t'find yer way around the place in this weather. Not t'mention those enemy presences you said ya felt." He frowned in mild embarassment, looking away from the young woman. "Anyway, I'm comin' too. Someone's gotta protect ya, after all."

The young woman smiled warmly, the first real smile she had ever presented to him. "Mm! Mata _mata arigatou, Koji-san!"_

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, waiting until she stepped under the small shelter before heading off down the muddy slopes. "So, what do ya need t'do? Jus' go t'the four corners of th' stronghold to weave a spell, 'r somethin'?" She nodded. "Okay, great then, we'll hit th' west side first, then head on over t'the north corner...oh, watch yer step here, Hikaru-san, it's a little slick from th' mud...ach, y'almost fell! C'mon, put yer hand on my arm fer balance...there, all right!" He smiled happily at the feel of the young woman's grip on his forearm, a pleasant shiver that wasn't from the cold racing up his spine. Odd sort of first date, but he'd take what he could get, he thought with a grin. "And we're off!" 

***

Houjun knew he should have gone to school that day, if only to prevent his friends and family from worrying about him, but in spite of his exhaustion he had slept little the night before and just couldn't find the strength to get out of bed that morning. Everytime he had tried to fall asleep, those images had come back to haunt and torment him time and again. No matter what he did, he just couldn't erase it; couldn't erase the picture of Kouran and Hikou wrapped in a lover's embrace, couldn't force the vision of he and Hikou fighting on the riverbank out of his head. So, he had remained sleepless, and had decided to take the easy way out of getting through the day.

That wasn't the whole reason, of course. As much as Houjun hated to admit it, he was also a little afraid of facing Hikou and Kouran so soon after the visions. How could he stand to talk to his beloved, when she had seen him break down like a little kid just the night before? Gods, he hadn't done that since he was a child, and he had certainly never done it in front of his friends... How could he possibly laugh and chat with Hikou, when the picture of the pair of them fighting, his best friend with desperation in his frightened eyes, was still so firmly etched across his heart? Above all, though, how he could bear sitting between the two of them in class, hearing them exchange friendly jokes with each other, when all his thoughts would be centered on that passionate kiss...

"Houjun?"

The young man did not react to his mother's call. He had been dozing off and on all morning, and decided to let her think he was still asleep. It was easier that way, and seeing him "peacefully sleeping" would probably ease any worries she might have had. Not to mention, it would keep him from receiving punishment from his behavior the night before.

"Houjun, you're a very bad actor. I can tell you're awake." He swore inwardly. Yukari chuckled. "Well, you don't have to talk to me if you don't feel well enough to do so. I figured you might be hungry, so I brought you a late lunch. I'll leave it by your bed; you can eat it when I'm gone, if you want."

Yukari hesitated for a moment, then took a seat on the edge of his bed. She patted his shoulder, smiling gently at her son even though he couldn't see it. "I'm not mad at you, you know. Neither is your father. Oh, don't worry, he told me all about what happened last night, and you won't be seeing your friends outside of school for the next week or so, but we aren't angry. Kouran came by this morning to check up on you, said you had had those headaches again during and after school, yesterday. She explained the whole thing, as best as she could. Told us you were real shaken up. I suppose that explains the way you acted last night."

Houjun, whose face was turned away from his mother, frowned. Kouran had come by, huh? She was probably worried, too, and his staying home wouldn't have eased that worry. Stupid, stupid.

"Anyway, like I said, we aren't angry with you. Shinsei admits that he was a little pushy the other night, when you made it pretty clear that you weren't in a good mood and needed to be left alone. Don't think I'm saying that what you did is okay - like I said, you'll be lucky if you get to see the light of day for the next week - but we understand, more-or-less."

The young man opened his mahogany orbs slightly, knowing his mother could not see it. His parents had always been so forgiving and easy-going, sometimes it drove him insane. It was a lot harder to stay angry or indignant at people who admitted their mistakes almost immediately. Mostly, it just made him feel guilty for his own actions.

Yukari was still talking, knowing perfectly well that her son was listening. "Your father thinks it's stress over the kakyo. Personally, I think this has something to do with women. Whatever the case, feel free to stay in bed and rest until you're feeling well enough - physically and mentally - to get back out in the world. You've been working so hard that you deserve any break you can get." 

His mother paused thoughtfully, rubbing at his tense shoulder as she gathered her next words. "Listen, Houjun... whatever's happening to you... I'm not going to push you into telling us about it. You're practically an adult, now, and if you think you can handle something on your own than I trust your judgment. But Shinsei and I are here if you want to talk. Never forget that." She stood, turning and smiling at the back of her son's head. She patted the mess of light blue hair gently. "Try to get some rest. I hope you feel better."

The young man listened as she started across the floor of his room, heading back out the door. He hesitated for an instant, then quietly said, "Tell Otoo-san I'm sorry. About last night, I mean. I didn't... I'm sorry."

He could practically see the fond smile on his mother's lips. "I think I can handle that."

The floorboards squeaked as she turned to leave once again, and once again his voice stopped her. "...And, Okaa-san?"

"Hai, Houjun?"

"...Arigatou."

Yukari chuckled. "Well, you didn't think parents were put on this earth _just_ to make your life hell, did you?" 

***

Tenshuru Asashi was so engrossed in her flute playing that afternoon that she did not notice the woman in front of her for several minutes. As she finished twiddling the final notes to "Shinjitsu no Chizu [Map of Truth]," she finally opened her eyes and ears to the world around her. The young teacher glanced upwards, surprised to find one of her temporary students standing above her, hands placed angrily on her hips. Tenshuru smiled, standing to face the student. "Ah, Suzunami-san. I'm sorry to make you wait. You were supposed to pick up the classwork for Ri-san, weren't-"

Kouran slapped Asashi sharply across the face, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence. The young woman glared at her enemy and rival, watching with moderate satisfaction as tears of unexpected pain sprung to Tenshuru's eyes. The new teacher blinked in surprise, putting a hand to her stinging cheek and trying to get her mouth to work out her words. "Su... Suzunami-san..."

"Stay away from him," Kouran ordered dangerously, the fists that were clenched at her sides aching for violence. "Don't ever go near him again, you hear me? Just leave him alone. Leave _us_ alone."

Her mysterious emerald eyes were wide with confusion and surprise. She took a cautious step backwards. "Him? What do you mean? Stay away from who?"

"Oh, don't bullshit me, Tenshuru," the young woman growled, closing the distance between them with a step of her own. "You know damn well who I'm talking about. Houjun was perfectly happy here, much happier than he could ever be in that nightmare world of his, and then you had to come along and try to destroy everything?" Kouran scowled, grabbing the teacher's collar in one hand. "Just what are you, anyway? Some kind of rogue Angel? Or a Demon?"

Asashi met Kouran's accusing gaze stare for stare, emerald eyes looking fearful but sure of themselves. "I am no different from your parents or anyone else in this village. My origins just happen to be different."

"And what is that supposed to mean!?"

"What do you suppose it means?"

Kouran slapped her again, brown orbs brimming with violent anger. "I'm getting really sick of your little riddles, Tenshuru. Quite frankly, I could care less what you are or where you came from, so long as you stay the hell away from him. I'm not going to let you have him, you understand that? I won't let him suffer that kind of pain anymore! By gods, as long as there's a breath of life in my body, I'm going to protect him from you and anyone else who wants to drag him away!" 

"'A breath of life in your body,' hm? Well in that case, I'd say you've already lost him, wouldn't you agree?" Asashi asked quietly. Kouran brought up her hand to strike her once more, but the young teacher managed to catch her wrist this time. Tenshuru stared levelly into the other woman's burning, protective eyes, choosing her next words with careful precision. "I have a strict policy with all of my students, which is quite simply that I will not give help unless help is requested. If Ri-san does not come to me, I'm not going to make an effort to go to him. Your friend sought out my classroom of his own accord yesterday; what else _could I do but give to him what he wanted?"_

"Liar!" Kouran snapped, becoming increasingly frustrated at the woman's serene nature and mysterious answers. "Houjun never asked for what you gave him! He never asked for that pain, for those... those... _memories_! He never asked for that! He _wouldn't_ ask for that, not after the hell that reality put him through!"

"Didn't he?"

"Of course no-" Kouran stopped, eyes widening as she realized that she had no argument to give. Houjun _had _acted as if he wanted to find answers, as if he wanted to remember the mysterious teacher and the events that went with her. As if a part of him actually desired to go back to that place... but how could he want that? The Angel had said... the Angel had told her...

Kouran gritted her teeth, releasing her hold on the Tenshuru woman's collar and taking a couple of quick steps back. "I'm leaving. Talking to you makes me sick. But remember what I said. I have a chance to finally save him from all the pain he's been forced to endure, and there's no way I'm letting that chance slip away from me. I'm going to _rescue_ him, and I won't allow anyone to stop me. I want to give him his happiness back." 

The young woman blinked her eyes, wondering when they had filled with tears and her heart had filled with questions. "If I can't do even that, then I really will just be a stupid whore, after all."

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: October 11, 2003; 10:00 P.M._

Hao, minna-san!  
Haha, these Author's Notes are starting to become part of the 'fixperience, aren't they? Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the parents of the world. This is probably the most screentime/lines Ri Yukari and Shinsei will be getting during my fic, so it seems fitting. By the way, I based Houjun's parents a little off of my own. I'm really starting to like his mother, she's pretty laid-back and understanding, like mine. His dad's a bit like my own, too: well-meaning but oblivious. Seems to me a lot of father's are like that...well, Shinsei isn't home a whole lot, so at least he's got an excuse. Heheh.

**Dialogue Credit** (Because plagiarism is bad, mmm'kay?)  
I have to cite Cherry, from the amazing animé, "Saber Marionette," for Hikaru's little fantasy-scene of Tasuki protecting her. Cherry had a tendency to wildly fantasize about her dear "Otaru-sama," and I probably unintentionally borrowed that theme when producing the love-struck Asatenshi woman's inner thoughts. So, domo arigatou, Cherry-san!

**Random Chapter Comments** This verse was pretty short compared to a lot of my other ones, and nothing really happened in it. *Sweatdrop* This is what I like to call an "inner monologue" chapter, or a CDC (Character Development Chapter), as well as something of a prelude to the rest of this Movement, when the poo really hits the fan. That's part of the reason I chose the song "Enrai (Distant Thunder)" from "Saber Marionette" for the title: this verse sets the stage for the storm (literally and figuratively) that's going to be appearing in upcoming verses. So, yes, it actually _is_ going to get worse.

Oh, and just on a side note, I finally wrote a Hikou monologue scene in this verse, and may I say it was loads of fun! I really like writing for him; I'm gonna have to do it more often. ^_^

I ran out of useless FY questions for the moment, so instead...   
_~~~Quote of the Week!~~~  
"Holy naked old people!" - Jonathan, a drama buddy_

**Verse Preview?** Another CDC, this one involving an evening shower, a bandit with a big mouth, and Houjun's worsening hell. Also... Genji reveals his true feelings! (Or... something like that... *Sweatdrop*) Stay tuned for the next riveting episode to this endless saga!

Your Melodramatic Author,  
Dee ~_^ 


	13. Verse Eleven: Yuudachi

-FREE WEBSITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; //--> 

_*****Background Song Announcement***** Yes, yes, it's true, in the spirit of Dee-chan Ficcery, this fanfic also has music that enhances the mood. The song for this chapter is, essentially, my unofficial theme song for RFS: "Sadame," from the animé "X." If you've seen the TV show, you've heard the song a thousand times. This is the beautiful piano version of that background song (I'll introduce the more powerful instrumental version later, rest assured). Anyway, the link to the song is on my homepage link, on my main Fanfiction page. You can play it throughout the chapter, but it sounds best (perfect, really) with the Houjun scenes, especially the memories. _

**Translation Note:** I'm translating this here because it takes away from the story if I translate during the story. "Tadaima" means "I'm home," and "Okaeri" means "Welcome back." Simple, deshou? 

**Verse Eleven: Yuudachi  
--Evening Shower--**

"Tender Rain,  
Even rain that's about to freeze from cold  
Is warmer than my heart.   
November Rain,  
Until my tears vanish, don't stop."  
~Hayashibara Megumi; "November Rain"~

"...And we wound up cleaning rice off the walls for almost three weeks!" Hikaru declared proudly, stomping her foot into the muddy ground. "There! No way could you possibly beat _that_ horror story! I told you, I truly am the worst cook the world has ever seen - but you might take a close second." 

Koji laughed, stopping for a moment as they reached the far eastern edge of Reikaku territory. "Okay, okay, you win. Though I still think my 'sugared rice' was a pretty bad one... last time Genrou 'n' I ever tried t'cook t'gether, I'll tell ya that..." 

The young woman chuckled, kneeling down on the ground and putting her hands against the wet earth. The bandit co-leader smiled a little; Hikaru's dress was a muddy disaster, but she didn't seem to mind. He liked seeing that in girls - it was annoying when they were too concerned with their looks to be practical. Koji glanced out across the rainy land, smilng a little. He was cold, wet and dirty, but somehow this was one of the best afternoons he had had since the Asatenshi sisters' arrival. 

The young woman finished her incantation shortly, and the two of them started back towards the Reikaku hideout. She was silent for a moment, keeping a hand on Koji's arm for balance and taking in the relative calm of the mountain. Hikaru sighed happily. "Strange, isn't it? You'd think this afternoon would have been miserable, but somehow I've wound up having a wonderful time." She looked up towards her bandit companion, smiling a little. "Arigatou, Koji-san, for accompanying me. I probably would have been completely lost and half-drowned without your help." 

He waved a dismissive hand at the compliment, returning the grin. "Hey, no problem! I _like_ spendin' time with ya, Hikaru-san, even if it is a cold, wet, an' muddy time." The Asatenshi woman giggled, shivering as she did. Koji frowned a little. "You all right? Not gettin' too cold, are ya?" 

Hikaru shook her head. "No, I'll be all right." She shivered again, wrapping her arms around her body for warmth. "Well, it _is_ getting colder, I guess, and Tasuki's jacket is fairly soaked..." 

"Here," Koji handed her the mat he had been using as an umbrella, making sure she had a good grip on it before letting go. He tugged on his relatively dry coat, slipping out of the garment and draping its dark red sleeves across her shoulders. "There. Better?" 

"Mm. But won't _you_ freeze without it?" 

He shrugged. "We're not too far from Reikaku now. An' anyway, I'm used t'this kinda weather. I'll be fine." She seemed to accept that answer, and the two continued. "Ch, I shoulda known Genrou's jacket wouldn't-a held up fer th' whole trip. Can't b'lieve he really expected ya t'go out in this weather with jus' that little thing." He chuckled good-naturedly at his companion's behavior. "An' t'top it off, when we get back he'll prob'ly bitch - er, sorry, Hikaru-san - he'll prob'ly complain about how it's wet 'n' dirty, then make one of us clean it... I still haven't taught that guy any delicacy. Guess it's a lost cause." 

Hikaru shook her head, voice rising protectively. "Oh, no! Tasuki was really being very considerate! He tried for almost ten full minutes to get me to change my mind about leaving! In fact, the only reason he probably agreed to let me do it was because he knew you would accompany me. You seem to know each other's minds very well, after all." The young woman glanced down, blushing a little bit. "He even said he'd never forgive himself, if something happened to me... it was a very thoughtful thing to say..." she shook her head hard. "Oh! I sound like a foolish schoolgirl, don't I, Koji-san? I apologize!" 

The co-leader looked away, mentally kicking himself for his stupidity. He felt the strings in his heart tighten further at the painful realization he had been avoiding all day. Of course today meant nothing to Hikaru, he chided himself bitterly. She barely thought of him as a friend. _Tasuki_ was her main concern. _Tasuki_ was always the main concern. _Tasuki_ was the seishi, the bandit leader, the one who always had everything tossed to him on a silver platter, even things he didn't necessarily want... 

Before he could stop himself, Koji's words poured out of his mouth. "Thoughtful? Genrou? Hah, yeah, an' I'm th' Emperor! Genrou's the loudest, rudest, densest person I know. He never _thinks_ about anythin', which is what makes him so aggravatin'. Take yesterday fer instance! He jus' wanted t'run out an' fry those Akutsuki members, without even takin' inta account th' consequences. Ch, he's so stubborn 'n' pig-headed, sometimes I wonder how he-" 

The bandit co-leader stopped short, noticing that Hikaru had stopped walking with him. He looked back, surprised to find the young woman standing out in the rain, staring at him in shock and anger. Koji bit his lip, realizing what had just spilled out in his fit of anger and... and, there was another emotion, too, though he didn't know what to call it. "Hi... Hikaru-san..." 

"How could you...?" she asked quietly, emerald eyes quivering with emotion. "How could you possibly say such terrible things about Tasuki!? How could you even _think_ them!? I thought the two of you were best friends! Always, always you were saying you were best friends! But how could a _real_ friend ever...!?" 

"I-" 

"Don't," she snapped harshly, shaking her head fiercely. "Don't try to explain yourself to me, when Tasuki is the one you so obviously have a problem with. I'm going back to the stronghold." She marched roughly past him, tossing him his coat as she went. "Thanks for the help. I think I can make it back from here." 

"But Hikaru-san-!" 

Her voice came back as hard and angry as a whip, snapping viciously at the bandit's heart. "Good-bye, Koji-san." 

The bandit co-leader watched helplessly as the Asatenshi sister stomped off into the storm, gazing at her silhouette until it completely disappeared in the distance. Only then did he toss his coat to the ground, gritting his teeth against his own stupidity. He had just snapped all ties he had made with Hikaru in one, simple action - he wouldn't be surprised if she _hated_ him after that bout of garbage he had just spilled! 

Worse still, he thought angrily, was that she was so _right_! He had said horrible things about Tasuki, about his best friend, the person who had _always_ been there for him. He and Tasuki had seen so much together, beaten so much together, and he had nearly been willing to throw all of that away tonight if it would make Hikaru see how much _better_ he was than his bandit friend. This wasn't a competition, was it?! 

_...Or was it?..._

Koji shook his head fiercely. Was he really so willing to throw away such a long-time companion for a woman he had known for less than a month? How could he do that? How could he _think_ it? Wasn't friendship more important than love? It was, wasn't it? That sort of relationship was valued a thousand times higher than romance, right? And, anyway, you could have both, couldn't you? One didn't have to suffer for the other to survive, did it? Or did it...? 

He didn't know. He didn't think he knew anything anymore. The bandit put a hand to his forehead, letting his breath hiss out between his teeth in frustration. "Shuu's got her names wrong. I'm the ahou around here," he muttered to the surrounding trees, wishing that _they_ could provide him with some answer to his troubles. 

***

Lulled by the faint drumming of rain against the rooftops, Houjun slipped in and out of a calm, peaceful doze throughout the afternoon, waking up once or twice to find himself feeling increasingly better. He gave a small sigh of contentment on one of these brief conscious spells, snuggling further into his blankets and enjoying the day of rest to its full extent. Perhaps, he thought hopefully, this was all he really needed. Maybe a relaxing afternoon of napping was enough to release the pressure he had felt gradually enclosing in on him, threatening to suffocate him in its damp blanket of unknown memories and fierce headaches. Already he could feel the pain from the night before receding, the knives that had laced through his heart fading with the images that had been so vivid only an evening ago... 

_'Hah, memories and premonitions,'_ he thought with a chuckle as he closed his eyes once again and slipped into a deeper, fuller sleep. _'That's a laugh. For all my good grades, I sure am stupid sometimes...'_

Houjun decided not to think about it anymore, and allowed the gentle music of the storm to send him back into the realms of dreams...

_The young man stood outside the makeshift infirmary where he had battled for his life and his sanity, allowing the light drizzle - the aftermath of the vicious monsoon of a week ago - to soak into his battered clothing. He glanced out at the receding waters, vaguely surprised to note that the flood had almost vanished, leaving only small rivulets of water here and there, along with the occasional "puddle," as some of the survivors jokingly called the miniature ponds that dotted the area. _

His single eye turned towards the nearby ruins of Kyokujitsu, his home... no, wait, that wasn't right. A place was only a home if the people you loved existed there, and there was no one. He had no one. But then again, he deserved that, didn't he? He deserved to be alone, deserved all the pain he had suffered. After what he had done, he deserved more than what he had received: he deserved to rot in hell. Yet for some reason... 

He glanced down at his knee, the knee that he had recently discovered carried one of the seven symbols of Suzaku. He barked out a sobbing laugh, finding the situation humourous, in a disgusting sort of way. To think, he would discover such a gift the same night everything he loved would be snatched from him, the same night he would lose his eye, his love, and his innocence. To think that that very gift would rescue him, unintentionally of course, from the very flood waters that destroyed everything else. It should have been something to celebrate - he could imagine his father, grinning like an idiot, and his mother, saying how proud she was to have a son chosen by Suzaku - but instead he stood out here by the ruins of his old village, cursing his existence and wishing for death. The gods must have found this to be one hell of a joke, he thought bitterly. 

Hardly knowing what he was doing, Houjun set out across the ravaged landscape, leaving behind the survivors from the surrounding villages and heading towards the remains of Kyokujitsu. He stomped along quietly, head turned downwards, heedless to the mud that sucked at his shoes and the rain that soaked him to the bone, threatening to reignite the fever that had raged through him over the past week. That fever, combined with the loss of blood and near infection of his destroyed eye, had almost killed him. If it hadn't been for that doctor, he would have... 

As he reached the edges of the village and passed quietly by the secondary school, where Ryuichi-sensei had once held sway, he smiled humourlessly at the thought of the nameless doctor that had saved his life that first night after the storm. At the time, he had been unable to say anything; looking back, he should have told the man to let him die. Perhaps that would have been better than this. Anything would be better than this. 

Momentarily numbed by the dead weight of the recent events, Houjun continued down the streets, pausing for a moment to glance up at what was left of Kouran's house. He stared at the water-logged wooden structure blankly, wishing he could find some kind of emotion to pull out of his deadened body, something that would do his fiancee's memory justice. He could find nothing, though: just an increasing emptiness that filled his soul, threatening to send him into complete despair. 

Sighing, he continued on the familiar path from his school towards his home, searching the damaged streets and houses for some kind of answer to the healing wound that raced across his face and the wound that still bled in his heart. He passed by Hikou's home in the same fashion that he had passed Kouran's; an upward glance at the beaten structure, a feeble attempt to rouse some kind of feeling - remorse, shame, even hate - before giving up and continuing on his way. 

Houjun was so lost in his thoughts that he did not realize he had pulled up to his own house until he was at the front door, buried up to his ankles in a muddy stream of water. He blinked his remaining eye weakly, staring at the warped wood that had once been the entrance to warmth, happiness, and security. He pushed weakly against what was left of the door; it practically collapsed under his hand, but swung inwards on its rusted hinges with a weak squeak. 

He stared into the hallway blankly, almost as if he were waiting for his mother to poke her head out of the kitchen and smile, his father to come from his seat in the living room to ask him about his day, his brother to tackle him from the hallway and wrestle him to the ground, his sister to spring from practically nowhere with her usual hug and loud call of "Okaeri, Onii-chan!" 

But there was no one. The darkness was complete and absolute. Houjun stepped into the house, sloshing through a thin trail of river water and allowing the door to swing shut behind him, enclosing him in the surrounding shadows. He felt something soft bump into his foot; glancing down, Houjun blinked in surprise as he saw a familiar, soggy doll floating lazily by his ankle. 

Still in a daze, the young man picked up the favourite toy of his younger sister. It was a small plush rabbit - fitting, since Kyoui had been born in the year of the same name - that he had gotten her for her fifth birthday. She had loved it ever since; even after five years she still slept with the faded "Usagi-chan." His sister would never just leave it lying in the hallway... 

Had she been scared? he wondered numbly. Had she dropped the doll in her rush to leave the house, to escape the rising floodwaters with his family, only to find they were too late? Had she cried as she was separated one by one from her loved ones? Or, perhaps, had she been the first to die...? 

'Did you cry out for me, Kyo-chan?'_ he asked the doll silently, pushing its soaked ears out of its face. _'Did you call for your big brother, praying that he would save you like he always did? Did you keep wishing for that, even as you were filled with such terror? Did you have faith in me, Kyo-chan, right up until-?'

Houjun clutched the pale yellow rabbit to his chest, collapsing to his knees in the puddle of water. He bowed his head over the small doll, grasping all of his sorrow, pain and grief in that embrace and pulling it tightly into himself. 

The darkness of the home wrapped itself around Houjun's slight form, covering him in a protective layer of safety and solitude. He withdrew deeply into the blanket of security, cutting himself almost entirely off from the rest of the world. There was no reason for him to be a part of this world any longer. He might as well just die. 

He gasped out a single, ragged sob, then looked up through his wet bangs at the remains of his world. The young man smiled thinly, whispering one small, insignificant word to the empty home; an impossible prayer that would never again have a meaning, would never again be answered. 

"...Tadaima."

Houjun felt a shudder course its way down his back, and was surprised when someone stilled the shivering. "Houjun, Houjun," a voice whispered quietly, drawing him back towards life. 

The cold emptiness that had covered him entirely was replaced by the warm, comforting sensation of being pulled into a gentle embrace. His loose, wet hair was stroked soothingly by a familiar hand. He relaxed in the hold, wondering when the last time that he was held like this had been. A lifetime, it seemed. Ah, no matter. If he could finally find condolence for his sorrows, then it was enough. 

Feet slapping against mud alerted him to an approaching figure. A soft gasp, followed by his father's voice broke him from his private stupor. "Gods. What the hell...?" Shinsei rarely cussed. Houjun wondered what the fuss was about. 

He opened his eyes weakly, finding his rain-drenched body in his mother's arms. That was expected - he had recognized her voice and embrace - but the water that soaked his skin and clothing was a different matter entirely. The young man jerked up in surprise, glancing around to find himself in front of the Ri household, sitting on the stone walkway that led to the front door. He blinked his mahogany orbs rapidly, trying to wake up... trying to remember... "Nande [What's]...?" 

"Houjun? Houjun?" Yukari said quietly, brushing his wet bangs out of his face. "Are you all right? I think you were sleep-walking. Funny, you haven't done that since you were really little, and even then..." she smiled warmly, turning his face gently so his eyes met hers. "Anyway, you're okay now. Let's go back inside, before you catch a cold, okay?" 

He blinked again, looking at his mother in confusion. Sleep-walking? But hadn't he... oh, gods! The young man's eyes widened as he remembered the sorrowful, lonely dream he had just envisioned. His friends. His home. The village. And he, alone, in the middle of it all, not even able to cry for them! Unable to cry for even his family, who might have lived if not for his foolishness! 

"If I had been there," he gasped out, terror gripping him as he desperately squeezed his mother's arm, almost as if trying to make sure she was real, "you would have left earlier, and made it out, wouldn't you?! It's my fault, isn't it?! Subete wa [Everything]...!" 

The older woman cupped his hand in her own, eyes bleeding confusion and concern for her son. "Houjun, what are you talking about? What's your fault?" 

His lips parted, the tale of what he had just seen, where had just been, seconds from tumbling helplessly out. But at the last second Houjun remembered who he was talking to, and the kind of pain his visions would bring to her. No. He would not do that to his mother. He would not do that to anyone. The young man turned his head downwards, shutting his mouth tightly and saying no more. Even if it killed him, he wasn't going to bring that kind of suffering down on the rest of his family. 

Houjun wrapped himself back into his blanket of emptiness and solitude, and even his mother's pleading voice would not make him leave. He would bear this alone. Whether it was the future, or the past, or a separate time completely, it all belonged to him. He did not want to share it anymore than he wanted to understand it. He just wanted it to go away. Wanted everything to go away... 

And still, he thought bitterly as he hugged his arms to his chest. Still, he couldn't even cry for them. 

"Shinsei," he heard Yukari say, her normally calm voice tremoring with fear. "Help me get Houjun inside. Something is very, _very_ wrong with our son." 

***

Koji lay on his bed later that afternoon, searching the cracked ceiling for answers to the questions he had been riddled with since the incident with Hikaru. The bandit co-leader sighed heavily. He wanted to talk to Tasuki about all of this - he _needed_ to talk to Tasuki about all of this - but he just couldn't bear to face him, not after everything he had said. What if Hikaru had told the Reikaku leader about his harsh, spontaneous words? How could he possibly explain that it had been an accident, that he hadn't even meant any of those terrible things? 

_...Even though he did...?_

No. That was unlikely. Tasuki was the sort of person who would confront someone if he heard a rumor like that, and Koji had not seen his bandit companion since he'd gotten back to the mountain. Hikaru had been silent. In that, at least, he had been blessed, though it still didn't solve any of his problems. Still didn't begin to answer any of his questions. 

Could you balance romance and friendship on a scale? Or did one side always have to outweigh the other? Would he have to choose? Choose between Hikaru and Tasuki? He _refused_ to do something like that! 

_...Because he was too ashamed of his choice...?_

The door to the co-leader's room opened quietly, a chibi head poking its way through. "Hao, Koji-sama!" Genji's well-known voice cried cheerfully. "Do you mind if I come in, or are you busy with something?" 

Koji glanced up, managing a flicker of a smile and waving the youth forward. "C'mon in, Genji-kun, y'know yer always welcome." 

The bandit blushed a little. "Koji-sama said I'm always welcome." Genji leaped onto the end of the co-leader's bed, grinning wildly. "I'm always welcome in Koji-sama's room! Shi-a-wa-se [Hap-pi-ness], te kanjii!" 

The older man sweatdropped at his friend's enthusiasm. "Well, right now it _is_ yer room, too, y'know." He hesitated, watching as the green-haired youth took a cross-legged seat at the end of his bed. He _did_ need to talk to someone about this, and there were only a few people on the mountain that he felt close enough to confide in - and confident enough that they would give him good answers. Hikaru was out of the question, as was Tasuki, and the co-leader was still a little angry at Shuu for her comments from earlier... well, fourth choice wasn't bad. "Say, Genji-kun, c'n I talk to ya about somethin'? It's kinda important, so hear me out on this one." 

The bandit nodded fiercely, purple eyes shining with excitement. "Oo, a man-to-man talk between me and Koji-sama! Tanoshii [What fun], te kanjii!" 

"This is just between you 'n' me, okay? So it's kinda like a secret. Got it?" 

He wagged a finger at his mentor. "'Secrets don't make friends,' as my mom always used to say." Genji paused thoughtfully, putting the same finger to his chin. "Which is kinda funny now that I think about it, seeing as how Daddy caught her in bed with the mailman." 

Koji sweatdropped. _'No wonder he ran away from home...'_ The co-leader waved a dismissive hand at his friend. "Eh, nevermind all that, Genji-kun. Just promise that this'll stay between you 'n' me, all right?" 

"Haaaaaaaaai!" he cried, putting a hand over his heart. "I solemnly swear I won't tell another single solitary soul or you can pluck out my eyes with your daggers, te kanjii! Is that good enough, Koji-sama?" 

"Er... Yeah. That's, uh, that's fine," the older man assured him. Inwardly, he was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea after all. Oh, well, he had come too far already. Might as well see it through. "Listen, Genji-kun... Whadda you think is more important? Friendship, or love?" 

"I love all my friends, te kanjii! So can I pick both?" he cocked his head curiously. "Or do you mean romantic love? 'Cause in that case... eto..." the young man looked down at his hands, brow furrowed thoughtfully. "They're both really important, te kanjii. But, friends can sometimes come and go, but the person you love is the person you love. Like your soul mate, and all, and they're there forever and ever, so, um... love?" He glanced up hopefully. "Is that the right answer, Koji-sama?" 

The bandit sighed. "I wish I knew." He paused, then decided to rephrase his question. "There're two people that I care a whole lot about, Genji-kun. But, th' problem is, th' person I wanna get _romantically_ involved with has a thing for my _friend_. And I dunno if I can make _romantic_ progess with one without hurtin' th' _friendship_ with th' other. But there's gotta be a way t'keep a balance between th' two, right? I don't have t'choose one over th' other, do I?" 

Genji clenched his fists, eyes lighting up excitedly "I know there's a way, Koji-sama! I know exactly what you're talking about, and I feel the same way, and we can settle it right here, te kanjii!" 

"We can?" Koji blinked in surprise, leaning forward. 

"Mm!" he nodded fiercely, then blushed and looked down, poking his index fingers together in embarassment. "Because, you see... there's two people who I really really care about, too. Except, recently, I've been thinking that maybe I care about one of them a little bit more than I care about the other. But I don't want to hurt his feelings, te kanjii! Because I still really really really like him, too! It's just..." Genji glanced up, setting his jaw and mustering up his courage. "Oh, but it doesn't matter anymore, Koji-sama! Because now I know how _you_ feel, and I know why you told me all this, and I think we can solve everything, te kanjii!" 

Koji frowned, not completely understanding his companion. "Huh? Y'mean... y'mean you like Hikaru-san, too?" 

"What?" the youth cocked his head in surprise. "You mean we weren't talking about Gen-sama? Wasn't that the friendship you were talking about?" 

"Well, yeah, it was..." the co-leader thought for a moment, then stared hard at his younger friend. "Wait. What romantic relationship were _you_ goin' on about? If Genrou's one-a th' people you really care about, then who's th' other if it ain't Hikaru?" 

"Eh!?" Genji blushed to the tips of his ears. He turned chibi and swiveled around on the bed, staring hard at the floor with his back to his bandit friend. "Oh... I was... it's, it's nobody... nobody important, I guess... te kanjii..." he brought up his head, swiftly changing the subject. "But, about your earlier questions, if you work hard enough then I bet you can keep both! Because if you really and truly love Hikaru-san and Gen-sama equally, then you'll find a way to work everything out, te kanjii!" He glanced over his shoulder at his mentor and friend, smiling cheerfully and flashing a victory sign. "That's what I think, anyway!" 

Koji grinned back at his young friend. "Huh. Maybe yer right, Genji-kun." He stood swiftly, ruffling the younger bandit's hair affectionately. "I'll see ya at dinner, okay? Right now I gotta go talk to Genrou about somethin' stupid I did. Oh, and Genji-kun, good luck with whoever y'were talkin' about. I hope everythin' works out fer you, too." 

The green-haired youth nodded. "Arigatou, Koji-sama, but I think I've already solved the problem, te kanjii." Genji waited until the door had opened and shut behind the co-leader before dropping his smile and his head. He sighed heavily, a single tear tracing its way down his cheek. "Koji-sama... it's just not fair..." 

The young bandit turned his head skywards, crying twin rivers of tears. "Oh cruel, bitter Fate! I just _had_ to fall in love with a man, didn't I!? And of all the men in the world, it just _had_ to be one of the only straight bandits in existence! It's just not fair, te kanjiiiiiii!" 

***

Houjun watched the rain pour quietly down outside his window. Rain was strange, he thought dully. You couldn't live without it, but you couldn't live in harmony with it, either. It gave what it wanted, and took what it wanted. You couldn't stop it; all you could do was do your best to fight it. Things like rain made humans seem pitifully insignificant, he decided. Could they really consider themselves the dominant species, when they were under the command of so many outside forces? His philosophy teacher had asked that question once, hadn't he...? 

"Houjun? Houjun?" 

The young man glanced up from his seat, meeting his mother's concerned gaze. He pulled himself out of his private cocoon long enough to answer. "Hai, 'Kaa-san?" 

Yukari hesitated, not completely sure what to say. Her son had been almost completely unresponsive since she had brought him in, several minutes ago; he always answered direct questions, but other than that he may as well have been in a completely different world. She glanced over her shoulder at her husband, as if to gain strength from his quiet presence, then took a breath. "Houjun," she began again, "Shinsei and I are very worried about you. Is there anything you want to talk to us about? Something that happened outside, or yesterday, or..." she left the sentence unfinished, allowing her oldest son to complete it if he wished. 

The young man shrugged a little, tugging at the blanket someone - his father, he thought - had draped over his shoulders and pulling it tighter around himself. He was as icily calm as a man who had been sentenced to Hell and had nothing left to fear. "I'm all right," Houjun said mechanically. A few seconds later, he couldn't even remember what had been asked, or how he had responded. It was like his brain was on automatic, going through the motions while he was really a thousand miles away. 

"No, I don't think you are," Shinsei pressed from the doorway. "What _happened_ out there? You need to tell us, Houjun, otherwise we can't help you." 

That was the question they continued to ask. It was the one question he refused to answer. The young man shut himself off again, turning his gaze back to the window. "I'm all right," he repeated. "I just had a bad dream, and I was half-asleep when you found me. That's all. It was nothing." Nothing. That's all it was. That's all _he_ was. Nothing in his heart for his family. Not even tears. 

His father said something he didn't catch. His mother answered somewhat snappishly. They were arguing about something, but not fiercely. They rarely got into real fights. Houjun lost track of the conversation again. As long as they weren't speaking to him, it wasn't like he needed to listen. All he had to do was respond the way he was expected, so they wouldn't worry about his waning health. His mind turned over all of the painful details of his dream again, trying to capture everything so he could be sure to push it all out of the way. He didn't want any of that to come back to haunt him later. He didn't want to accidentally tell his family about the deaths he had envisioned for all of them. The deaths that were, essentially, all his fault. 

The young man glanced down at his hands. They had been stained with mud earlier; somone must have cleaned them off. He had cleaned them off, hadn't he? That's right: he had gotten a towel from the kitchen. It was so hard to remember anything since he woke up; _this_ felt more like a dream than his actual dream, he realized in confusion. 

_'It doesn't matter,'_ he thought numbly, clasping one hand firmly in the other. _'I'll never get my hands clean, after that. There's too much blood on them for a simple scrubbing to clean off.' _He turned his eyes back to the window. _'I wonder if it will flood, tonight... like it did back then...?'_

He pushed that thought sharply out of his head. There had never been a flood in Kyokujitsu; not a serious one, anyway. There _was_ no "back then." Anyway, he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted it to go away. So he could stop this pain. So his family and friends could stop worrying. He shoved the memory further into the back of his mind, allowing the emptiness that surrounded his soul to swallow it entirely. 

Houjun heard his mother murmur something gently to him. He didn't know what. After a moment, she left the room. Shinsei followed. Good. He didn't want them to see him like this. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. He _had_ to try and pull himself back together, to forget those horrible visions before they took over his life completely. He had to think of Kouran, Hikou, his parents and siblings. Had to think about what was real, about what he knew. About what _mattered._ Not visions. Not deaths and floods and Suzaku seishi. _Had to think about what was real._

But what _was_ real...? 

He sighed. It was no use. He looked around at his darkened room, littered with evening shadows that made it appear cold and empty. His heart was a lot like this room, now, he thought. The darkness was complete, in and out; the emptiness was complete, in and out. He pulled his knees to his chest, burying his head in his arms and wishing he could at least _feel_ something, anything. Even pain would have been better than this complete nothingness. Even tears would have been a blessing. Had he ever been able to cry for them? Would he ever be able to cry for them? Or was his heart too frozen over with loss to do even that simple task? 

Houjun closed his eyes tightly, taking his mind back to a day that was a lifetime away. _'I've felt this feeling before, haven't I...? Twice... twice I've felt this feeling... and I couldn't fight it, either time...'_

He sat in one of the many tents that dotted the edge of the Shouryuu River, the temporary home of the flood refugees. Nearly a month had passed since the day everything had been snatched away from him; almost three weeks had gone by since he had visited his home for the final time. 

The young man wondered how he had managed to get through all those days. He had even eaten, here and there, automatically continuing the basic functions of life. The other survivors encouraged their young, lonely companion quietly, urging him to keep up his strength and regain his health. Their words had been able to keep his numbed body from dying for a time, but it looked as if that time had passed. 

He had no purpose in life anymore, no desire to continue his meaningless existence. He didn't deserve life, not after all the lives he had destroyed. Not after Kouran's tears, Hikou's pain, his family's suffering. So, it only seemed right that he do what the flood had been unable to do. That he finish what that rainy night should have finished... 

Houjun glanced down at the knife that trembled in his weak hands. He had not eaten in several days, and it was starting to show. Not that that would matter in a few minutes, he reminded himself grimly. He tightened his grip on the weapon. He would have to make this quick, or he wouldn't be able to go through with it. He was coward enough that he might change his mind at the last second if he didn't do it fast. 

It would only take one swift plunge to the chest. Even if he didn't hit his heart, the damage would be too severe for any of the village healers to handle. It would be slow, painful, and deadly. Then it would all be over. Then he would finally be free of the emptiness that swallowed his soul. He would finally be rid of the wound on his eye and the deeper wound across his heart. 

"Hikou..." he whispered quietly. "I hope I suffer... as much as you must have..." 

The young man closed his single eye, gathering together every last inch of his courage and pain. He pulled the knife back, preparing to stab it straight into his chest. One pierce. One pierce. Just one. Just one... 

"Houjun-san. Oh, Houjun-san." 

Someone's soft hands wrapped around his own, gently pulling the knife from his weak grasp. He opened his eye, finding himself staring into the familiar face of a middle-aged woman. It was Akura Hatsuko, Kouran's aunt from a neighboring village. The woman who had found him on the riverbank, the night after the flood, and who had discovered him in his home a week later. Both those times, he should have been left to die. Just like now. Just like now. 

The older woman smiled kindly, but couldn't help wincing as the young man's jagged scar flashed in the dim light. He instinctively turned that side of his face away from her, so she wouldn't have to see it. He understood what kind of a monster he must seem to others. But at least, with a mark like this, the world would see on his face the sins of his heart. "Akura-san...?" 

"Houjun-san, it happens to many stronger than yourself, and many weaker as well," she assured him quietly. "Your home, your family... everything gone... it's understandable, why you would try this." 

He dropped his head, admitting his personal defeat. He couldn't even kill himself right. How disgusting. "Why...?" he asked quietly, unable to finish his question. Unable to demand to know why she would save someone who deserved a thousand painful deaths. 

Hatsuko misunderstood his question, thinking it to be one of remorse. "It is understandable," she repeated quietly. "But you must not give up on life, Houjun-san! You have a purpose still, a purpose more beautiful and pure than any of us could possibly be given." She touched his right knee almost reverently, smiling secretively at the young man. 

His single eye widened in surprise. "How did you-?" 

"When I found you, that horrible night, you were covered in a red light. And your knee carried the symbol of 'well.'" She cupped his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her again. "You were protected, Houjun-san, by Suzaku himself! Is there a better reason to live?" 

"I don't deserve it," he told her quietly, keeping his eyes to the ground. "I don't deserve... any of it..." Houjun touched his healing eye gently, to remind the older woman and himself of his previous sins. "I killed... him... and my family... I shouldn't be allowed to live, to be a shichiseishi..." 

Hatsuko frowned. "Such a young, promising life should not be destroyed so easily." He laughed hoarsely at the idea of his life being promising. "If your mistakes bother you so much, then you should atone for them. Don't you agree, Houjun-san?" 

"...Through death...?" he muttered, almost hopefully. 

"No!" she said fiercely, gripping his shoulders. The older woman took a breath, trying to calm herself. She had to make him see reason, and yelling at him would not do it. "Do you know where Tsugunai Temple is? In Himawari Village?" he nodded weakly. "Good. Very good. My son... my son works there. In the temple, I mean. He is a monk. He can help you." 

Houjun glanced up, a flicker of hope in his eye. He mentally cursed himself; even now, was he so desperately searching for an alternate path to redemption? Was he such a coward that he would try to sneak away from his own deserved death? "Help me? But how...?" 

"Baka, how else?" she asked gently. "You can join him there, of course. Or travel, if you prefer. Work off these 'sins' you keep talking about. Give yourself a reason to live, if only until the Miko arrives and your true destiny is realized. Do whatever it takes, but Houjun-san - no, Chichiri-sama_ - you must live. If not for your own sake, than for mine. For that doctor who worked so hard to save you. For your Miko, and your fellow seishi." She glanced down, finishing quietly. "And, if for no one else, than for my niece Kouran, whose tears would flood the earth with rain if you were to die such a meaningless death." _

At the mention of his beloved, Houjun felt something in his withered heart spark to life, just slightly. Kouran. Even if she had not loved him the way he loved her, even if it had all been a lie, surely she still cared for him as the childhood friend he had been? Surely, if he were to kill himself, more of her tears would be shed. 

Surely, he would not allow himself to cause her more pain than he already had. 

The young man straightened his shoulders resolutely. He had a path. He had a purpose. For the moment, at least, it would suffice. "When can I leave?" he wanted to know.

Yes, he reminisced quietly, only partially wondering how he could reminisce something that had not happened. That _had_ sufficed, for a while, hadn't it? For almost three years, he had managed to keep the darkness in his heart at bay, had been able to fight it off with a set of carefully planned excuses. The quiet friendship of Akura Takashi, Hatsuko's son, had helped him survive for a painful year. The strangely rewarding job as a wanderer, traversing freely about the country with so few cares, so few worries, had worked for a time, as well. 

But all that had eventually worn off. After three bitter years, after battling so many inner demons, after trying so desperately to keep a purpose in his life, he had lost the fight once again. Not even the simple beauty of nature, which he had come to realize he loved almost as much as the home he had lost, could help him cling to life. Not even the memory of Hatsuko's passionate words about Kouran could stir a flame from the ashes of his soul. 

Because he still saw Hikou's desperate face, still smelled the ashes of his family's remains, still heard the heavy rush of a flooded river, still felt his best friend's hand slipping away from his own. He was still haunted by the events of that night. And he still had just one question to ask. 

_'Why did you betray me...?'_

The Shouryuu River had not been so kind to him on his second visit to its depths. His Suzaku powers did not spring unbidden to stop his fall into the rushing current. With the help of a girl who shared his deceased fiancee's name, he had managed to escape with his life intact, but little else. Perhaps, that time, he should have died, too. 

Houjun pulled his head from his knees, shaking it hard to clear it of the alien memories. As he turned his eyes back to the window, he couldn't help but wonder what had caused all the pain he felt in these visions. It was fiercely hinted at, something about murdering "him" and a flood. The destruction of his village...? No, it was more than that. Worse than that. But what...? 

The young man closed his mahogany orbs, putting a hand to his forehead to ward off the hint of a headache. _'No,'_ he reminded himself. _'I don't want to find answers. More answers will just bring more pain. To me. To them. To Kouran. I refuse to do that. I love them too much.'_

So why, he silently asked the storm, why, if he loved them so much, had he been unable to cry for them? Was his heart just too iced over with pain and guilt to find the strength for tears? Did he really fear for them at all? Was it for their sake that he fought his visions? Or was it only for himself? 

The weeping sky offered no solutions to his dry eyes and empty heart. 

***

"Oi, Genrou, c'n I talk t'ya fer a minute?" 

Tasuki looked up from his bed at the bandit that stood in the doorway. He shot a teasing grin at his companion. "Aw, c'mon now Koji, y'know not t'interrupt me when I'm havin' such a _rivetin'_ conversation with my roommate." His golden eyes shot down to where Chichiri still slept quietly on his floor, then back up to his best friend. "Yeah, come on in." 

Koji sidestepped the comatose monk, frowning worriedly at Hikaru's patient, then at Tasuki. "Still no change, huh?" 

"Nah," he agreed, smile disappearing as the conversation turned towards his seishi comrade. "Earlier t'day I thought I saw his eyebrow twitch a little, but I think it was jus' my imagination." He sighed, sitting up and watching as the monk's chest rose and fell slowly. "I been followin' Hikaru's advice, talkin' t'him an' all, but I dunno if it's doin' any good. Maybe he really don't wanna come back..." A shadow passed swiftly across Tasuki's face - concern, guilt, fear? - but the look was quickly erased. Reikaku's leader glanced up again, shrugging. "Ah, nevermind, though. What's up?" 

Reminded of his real reason for coming here, Koji winced and turned his eyes from his companion's face. "Oh, right." He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly finding something very interesting among the cracks in Tasuki's wall. "Er, about that... there's somethin' that happened this afternoon, somethin' I figger I oughta talk t'you about..." 

Tasuki frowned thoughtfully at his friend's unusual shyness. "Okay. So what's up? Somethin' between you 'n' Hikaru, 'r somethin'?" 

"Yeah, you could, um, you could say that..." 

The bandit leader's door opened once again. "Tasuki!" A cheerful voice called. A moment later, the elder Asatenshi sister's head appeared around the doorway, smiling at the seishi. "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Shuu-chan lately? I can't seem to..." Hikaru's eyes fell on Tasuki's companion; her smile immediately dropped. "Oh. I see you've got company. I'll come back later, then-" 

"Wait, Hikaru-san." Koji looked up at the attractive sister, forcing himself to meet her eyes. "I want you t'hear this too. So, d'ya think ya c'd come in an' have a seat?" 

She hesitated for a second, looking between the co-leader and leader as if she was weighing the pros and cons - spend time with Tasuki, or escape the presence of Koji? - before finally nodding and entering the room. The tanned bandit waited until she was seated comfortably on the floor before speaking. "Listen, Genrou... about this afternoon..." he rubbed the back of his head, wondering how to bring this up. "Well, when Hikaru-san an' I were out takin' care of that barrier thing, I said some... some pretty harsh stuff about ya. Like, callin' ya stupid 'n' stubborn 'n' sayin' that ya couldn't do anythin' without my help..." 

Tasuki shrugged. "What's th' problem? Y'say that stuff t'my face all th' time." 

"This was different!" Hikaru interjected angrily. "Before, it was obvious that you were only teasing each other, that it was in jest! But Koji-san... Koji-san said it so harshly! It was like he _meant_ every word of it!" 

"Which I didn't," the co-leader added hastily. "It jus' all popped out, 'cause I, well..." he sighed; he would have to be honest about this. "Sometimes I jus' get so _sick_ of hearin' about how great Genrou is! I mean, here we were, Hikaru-san, havin' a perfectly nice afternoon an' all, an' suddenly yer gigglin' an' goin' on about how nice 'n' thoughtful he was to ya. I couldn't help it; I got a little irritated." 

The Asatenshi sister did not seem impressed. "Well, perhaps, but that didn't give you a right to speak so poorly of Tasuki." 

"Yer right," he agreed whole-heartedly, "it didn't. An' maybe that ain't a good excuse, either. I guess... I guess sayin' that stuff was me tryin' t'soothe my stupid pride. I hear about Genrou all th' time, so sometimes I gotta knock him down t'make myself feel a little important." He put a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples and adding quietly, "I mean, after all, I mean _somethin'_ t'the world, too, don't I?" 

Silence filled the room for a long moment. Finally, the intense quiet was broken by a surprising sob from Tasuki's direction. "I can't believe it... I jus' can't..." 

Koji looked up, eyes widening in shock at his companion, who was hunched over on the bed with his head in his hands. "G-Genrou? Are you... are you okay? I, I didn't..." 

"I jus' can't believe it..." The seishi sat up suddenly, eyes full of tears. "Aniki, you don't... you don't _love_ me anymore?" He put his head into his sleeve, sobbing wildly. "Oh, you big meanie, you called me all sorts of nasty names! I'm never speaking to you again, never never _never_! Boo-hoo-hoo!" 

Hikaru and Koji both sweatdropped. The co-leader grinned crookedly, surprised by the immense relief he suddenly felt in his chest. "I take it this means y'ain't too pissed at me, na?" 

Tasuki sat up, sobs turning into chuckles as he dried away the false tears and popped his companion good-naturedly across the back of the head. "Ahou! Please, like a couple-a little remarks're gonna damage _this_ friendship! If I let people callin' me dense 'n' loud-mouthed get t'me, I'd-a thrown myself off a cliff when I was in my teens!" He grinned, shoving Koji off the bed and literally into Hikaru's arms. "Hell, sounds t'me like Hikaru's more pissed off'n I am, so why doncha say yer apologies t'her, na?" 

The Asatenshi sister blushed slightly at the co-leader, who was almost nose to nose with her. "I suppose if Tasuki can forgive you so easily, then I misinterpreted your remarks. I apologize for jumping to conclusions and storming off like that." 

Koji grinned. "Hey, no need t'apologize, I was th' one who was outta line, Hikaru-san." 

The young woman returned the smile. "Consider the entire thing forgotten. Now, Koji-san..." she glanced down to where he was sitting, draped across her in an extremely compromising position. "Do you suppose you could remove yourself from my lap, please?" 

"Huh? Oh shit, sorry 'bout that!" the bandit hurriedly attempted to do as she asked, but slipped on the wooden floor and wound up with his hand on her breast. Koji blushed, swearing loudly and trying to ignore more than a few sensations that raced through his body. "Gomen, Hikaru-san! I jus' can't do anythin' right t'day - _oof_!" 

Tasuki, who was laughing almost uncontrollably at his friend's awkward situation, had fallen off the bed - and right onto his two companions. The bandit chuckled, opening his tear-filled eyes and slapping Koji on what he assumed was his shoulder. "Holy shit man, you shoulda seen yer face! I thought y'were gonna explode in yer damn pants!" 

"Would you _shut up_!?" Koji cried with a fierce blush, trying to glare at his friend and remove his head from Hikaru's chest at the same time. "An' why th' hell are ya pattin' my _ass_!?" 

"Eh?" Tasuki blinked, clearing the tears of laughter with the action and finding that his friend was right. "Ach! Sorry!" He quickly removed his hand from its current position, spluttering angrily to cover his embarassment. "Well, it ain't _my_ fault yer ass is so hard it felt like yer shoulder!" 

"What was that, some kinda twisted pick-up line!?" 

"N-nani-!?" 

Hikaru, who was sufficiently smashed under the two men, managed to squeak a small request. "Would you mind... not putting your hand there, Tasuki... and your face there, Koji-san... and could you both, eto, could you please, perhaps, get off of me?" 

"Eh? Oh! Sorry 'bout that, Hikaru!" 

"You idiot, quit apologizin' an' jus' _move_!" 

The trio looked up, momentarily frozen in their rather unusual positions at the sound of the door creaking open. A bedraggled head of raven-blue hair poked its way around the wood, looking extremely tired and more than a little annoyed. Still, that didn't stop her from taking in the scene and, with a raised eyebrow, make one of her infamously dry quips. "Well, look at that. I'm impressed, Nee-san - I never thought you had it in you to pull off a threesome." 

Hikaru blushed violently, sitting up as the pair of bandits scrambled off and away from her. "Shuu-chan, it isn't like that! We were just talking, that's all!" 

"Hey, whatever. It's none of my business what - and who - you do in your spare time," the other sister agreed with a shrug. "Anyway, some of the bandits said you were looking for me. You need something?" 

"Ah, actually, I did wish to see you. I need some help with remembering a few spells." The eldest sister stood, turning and bowing quickly to her two bandit friends. "After I speak with Shuu-chan, I'll probably be going to bed, so I'll see the two of you in the morning." 

"Come t'think of it, I'd better get back t'my room, too," Koji remarked. He started to stand, but was pulled roughly back to the ground by his bandit friend. He glanced over his shoulder at the seishi. "What's up?" 

"We've still got somethin' t'settle," he said sternly, pasting on his most severe "leader" look. "Whether y'like it 'r not, I'm still th' boss around this place, an' talkin' bad about th' boss is definitely breakin' code three-five-dash-four-point-two." Koji sweatdropped, knowing perfectly well there was no such thing. "Which means that yer now susceptible t'some serious punishment." Tasuki cracked his knuckles, grinning viciously. "In other words: the ol' 'Turnabout is Fair Play' payback." 

"Ah, crap." The co-leader sighed. "Don't s'pose I c'n wheedle my way outta this?" 

"Nope! Now sit back an' take it like a man!" 

The two bandits sat across from each other, cross-legged, both looking very stern and severe. The seishi cleared his throat, glared accusingly at Koji, then began: "First off, yer jus' like some old mother. Yer bossy, naggy, a born worrier, an' a stickler fer keepin' th' stronghold clean. Yer th' most anal person I know, with th' way ya gotta organize things around th' place, an' yer damn chore schedules suck ass. Yer too emotional when it comes t'people ya care about, an' that last display jus' showed that ya get guilt trips fer things that ya don't even _need_ t'feel guilty about. An' don't even get me started about yer taste in clothing..." 

"How long is this gonna take?" Koji interrupted somewhat irritably. 

"As long as it needs to..." he scowled, pulling out his crystal fan. "An' don't you dare take that tone with me, young man!" Tasuki smacked his friend over the head with his tessen. "Remember, in the Reikaku family I'm th' husband an' yer th' wife, which means when I'm talkin' y'better damn well listen." 

"D'you have any idea how gay that sounded?" 

"Urusai, woman, an' make me mah dinnah!" 

Hikaru chuckled from the doorway, smiling fondly at the pair of bandits she had become close companions with in a relatively short time. "They're true friends, through and through. To tear the two of them apart would be a nearly impossible task." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It's hard to find such strong bonds of loyalty and trust, especially in humans. Don't you agree, Nee-san?" 

"It's so sweet, I just might throw up," Shuu drawled sarcastically. "Stop sight-seeing already. You needed some help, right? So, let's get it over with. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay in here with your little bandit harem..." 

"Shuu-chan, you pervert!" 

***

"Onii-chan? You awake?" 

Houjun, jerked sharply out of his half-asleep daze, glanced up in moderate surprise at the quiet call. He found himself looking into the unusually hesitant eyes of his little sister. The young man managed a small smile; even now, after everything, Kyoui's presence could still put a bit of warmth into his life. "No, Kyo-chan, I'm awake, more-or-less." He patted his bed, inviting the girl to have a seat. 

She willingly accepted the offer, slippered feet padding quietly across his wooden floor. "Okaa-san and Otoo-san said that you were sick and that we shouldn't bother you," she explained as she hopped onto the bed. The girl squeezed into a comfortable position, lodged safely between her older brother and the wall that the bed sat against. She leaned her head against his shoulder, glancing up at him with a smile. "But I think that's kinda silly, don't you? 'Cause when I'm not feeling well, most of the time I don't like being alone. If someone's there, they can help you forget that you're sick." 

Houjun nodded, giving her a small squeeze. He had to keep up his cheerful pretense in front of his sister. He couldn't stand the thought of making her worried. He had brought her enough pain, when he had... The young man closed his eyes tightly. No, no, _no_. He refused to think about any of it. If he held it back, it would go away. It _had_ to go away... 

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kyoui looked down, rummaging in the folds of her skirts in search of something. After a moment, she pulled out the desired object and stuck it in front of her brother's face. "Here. This always makes me feel better when I'm sick. I know you're probably too old for it, but just try it tonight if you want." She smiled sweetly. "Then everytime you hug it you can think of me, and how I want you to get better!" 

The young man blinked in surprise, eyes taking a minute to focus on the object that his sister had presented to him. Once he did figure out what it was, he wished he hadn't. 

"It's Usagi-chan, remember, Houjun?" Kyoui was saying, though he barely heard her through the thrumming visions in his eyes and ears. "You got it for me. See? I still hang onto it! It's my favourite toy, you know." She dropped the plush rabbit into his lap, glancing up worriedly at her unresponsive brother. The young girl scowled fiercely. "Neeeeeee! Onii-chan!?"

__

"What about my village? My family? The others? How are they?" 

"Oh, Houjun-san, I'm so sorry." 

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" 

"It's just... Kyokujitsu... it was right on the riverbank, practically on the water... it just happened so fast, no one expected something so violent... Houjun-san, the village was completely destroyed. No one had a hope of survival." 

"No one...?" his single mahogany eye widened in surprise, glistened hesitantly with the threat of a tear... then suddenly returned to its usual, impassive state. He looked away, nodding slightly. "I see. Thank you, Akura-san. I'd like to be alone now, if that's all right." 

"Houjun-san..." she said carefully. "It's, it's all right to cry, you know... it would, it would be all right if you cried..." 

The young man, bedridden for the moment, turned his face away from the older woman. He felt that he should cry; that he wanted to cry. Yet he could not. He had used up all his tears, all his passionate grief, on his best friend and fiancee. He had nothing left to give to his family. Nothing left to feel for his family. They were gone forever, and yet he couldn't find any emotions to pull out of his battered body, his ragged soul. Spiritually, he, too, may as well have been dead. 

"Dekinai [I can't]," he murmured quietly. Houjun closed his single, dry eye, and closed his heart to the outside world. "A frozen heart doesn't know how to shed tears, Akura-san."

Houjun stared hard at the small doll in his lap, then looked up at his irritated - but also worried - younger sister. His mahogany orbs met her lively brown ones, eyes full of cheer and love and concern... and felt something that had long been locked in his heart unexpectedly open. "Kyo-chan..." 

His eyes filled with long overdue tears, tears that he had been unable to give all evening - that he had been unable to give for over two decades. The young man gripped his sister in a tight hug, water spilling freely down his cheeks. He sobbed brokenly, all the grief of his dreams - of his reality - escaping in a cascade of helpless sorrow. 

"Kyo-chan..." he repeated, holding her tightly, afraid to let go. Afraid that he would once again lose it, that he would lose the burning passion that had been locked in his chest since his nightmare - since his family had died. Passion for the things he loved, passion for himself... passion for life. 

He felt like he had found a lost toy, a toy that he had given up on finding years ago. And somehow, even as the tears fell uncontrollably, that made him feel just a little bit better. It was pain, surely, fierce and raw, but at least it was emotion. At least it was a real, fiery feeling for _something_. He would deal with the rest later, would handle the nightmares and the headaches and the false memories at another time; right now, he needed nothing but tears. 

"Gomen ne," he whispered quietly. "I should have been there... I should have been there for you, when you needed me most... I wanted to cry for you, but I couldn't... I just forgot how... gomen ne, Kyo-chan... Gomen ne..." 

The youngest Ri child blinked in confusion. She had never seen Houjun like this before. She had never seen him so hurt, so overwhelmed... so sad. Kyoui's wide eyes softened a little; she patted her eldest brother's back comfortingly. He was always around when she needed help. At least she could do this for him. "Daijoubu, Houjun," she assured him. "It's okay. You've always been here for me. You'll always be here for me. Don't cry. It'll be all right." 

He pulled her even closer, sniffing violently against the onslaught of tears. "I hate the rain," he told her quietly. "I hate it... I've always hated it... horrible things always happen in the rain... always... And it's so cold... it makes everything so cold... inside and outside... it floods - and freezes - everything... sometimes for so long..." 

_'Ame [Rain]...?'_ the girl frowned thoughtfully. _'Why does that...?'_

The feeling of being surrounded by swirling waters, of being held under by a chunk of debris, of shouting helplessly, only to have her mouth filled with muddy water, flashed through Kyoui's mind. Over and over, she called out the name of the person she most trusted, praying desperately that he still lived, that he could still save her, but it was no use. Eventually, she had no more air left with which to yell. Just water. Everything was water. 

Kyoui sniffled a little, though she wasn't sure why. "I hate the rain, too," she agreed. 

The pair of siblings turned their heads toward the small window in Houjun's room, watching as the raindrops continued their dance across Kyokujitsu Village. Brother and sister hugged tightly, leaning against one another for comfort and strength. They would wait out the rest of the storm. This time, they would wait it out together.

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: October 25, 2003; 11:30 PM_

Hao, minna-san!  
Ay, another more-or-less pointless chapter! I need to stop writing these, don't I? Well, look, it doesn't have anything to do with the plot, but it does serve a purpose... or something like one. Okay, I have a lot to get through in this session, but I'll do my best to get it done quickly.

**Random Chapter Comments** Fans of bandits and Asatenshi sisters will want to savor this chapter, as it's the last you'll be seeing of them in the First Movement. *Wards off angry readers* Hey, calm down! There's only fifteen verses in the First Movement, and the Second Movement is reserved completely for Tasuki, Koji, and the mysterious sisters. All the Reikaku goodness you can muster - but on the downside, no Chichiri/Houjun (unless you count his comatose form, which I really don't). *Wards off yet more angry readers* Ach! I just can't win, can I?

**Answering Reviews** I feel quite silly, because I got in a hurry last time and forgot to do this section! A thousand apologies, O Readers! *Much bowing* Oh yes, and a big "howdy ho!" to my newcomers: WeaselGirl-san, Disheartenedwolf-san, Kohiko-san, and Chiri27-san! Thanks so much for hopping on the RFS train! There's a long ride ahead, so buckle up...  
_--To Wingstar-san, about Tenshuru:_ Haha, yep, Tenshuru's the good Asatenshi, in a sense anyway. But that still means it could be either Shuu or Hikaru, so nobody better start jumping to conclusions! And yes, "Asashi Tenshuru" is a cooky little anagram on my part - but keep in mind that her last name as both "shu" and "ru" in it, which are parts of both sister's names... so there's still no clear villain in sight! Hooray for mysteries!  
_--To WeaselGirl-san, on "te kanjii":_ It's sort of like, "no da," but with more flair. It doesn't really translate. If you were to translate it, it might be something along the lines of "like" or "totally." Think valley girl, heheh.  
_--To Kohiko-san, on Kouran:_ Oh, good, you feel sorry for her, you don't hate her! Phew! I was worried about what kind of emotions I'd be getting from Kouran's involvement in this story... so far, there haven't been any flaming death threats, so, I guess I should count myself lucky. I actually _like_ Kouran, you know, even if I don't seem to show it...  
_--To Wingstar-san (again, heh), on Ficcing:_ Oh, well, most of the time I don't accept excuses for delayed reviews (don't worry, I'm kidding), but if it involves Roku-senpai's fic, then you're forgiven! *Hugs "Bridge Over the Abyss"* You can bet your sweet pippy that it's the best FY story running on the net right now, so everyone who hasn't read it needs to, right now! Hell, _I'd_ choose Roku-senpai's work over my own... *Mega-Sweatdrop*

**Fact Vs. Fanfiction** I did a lot of research for this fanfic, in the form of scouring the web for accurate translations of gaiden novels and whatnot, so many of the things I discuss concerning Houjun's past really did happen. However, there are other incidents that I found it necessary to add - and this is the section that will distinguish the difference between the two! Hooray for citations!  
_--Houjun's kakyo plans -_ Fiction, but based on Fact. In "Shouryuu Den" it is mentioned that his father (well, actually it says parents, but how many women actually got to work in those days?) was a government official. I'm sure, in that time period, a lot of kids - especially oldest sons - were encouraged to "carry on the family business," so it's realistic that he would be expected to do what his father was doing.  
_--Houjun's attempted suicides -_ Fact!... and Fiction! Though it's true, "Shouryuu Den" actually begins with Houjun throwing himself into the Shouryuu River - the same river that took his village - the "knife incident" a month after the flood was something I created on my own. I actually have Roku-senpai (er... Roku Kyu to the ficcing world), to thank for that scene. I didn't get the idea from anything *she* wrote, persé, but in her author's note at the beginning of "Bridge Over the Abyss" she says how she thought it was unrealistic that Houjun would wander around for three years and _then_ try to kill himself. Well, I realized how right she was, which also got me thinking about what would give him the idea to suddenly become a monk... anyway, one thing led to another and I wound up writing the scene involving Hatsuko and her monk son. Thanks for the creative thrust, Roku-senpai! I heart you! *Grin*

_Question of the Week:_ If Tasuki's tessen fire isn't his Suzaku power (after all, even Eiken made it work), then why couldn't he use it when Nakago sealed their powers in Kutou?

**Verse Preview?** One last CDC before the shiznit hits the fizan. Friendship, a paradise, and of course: some Dee-chan patented fuzzy memories! Hooray for memories!

A Very Happy Bunny Tonight,  
Dee ~_^ 


	14. Verse Twelve: SANKYUTARI

-FREE WEB SITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; //--> 

The Free Site 

  


_Small Note of Explanation: Woohoo, I'm keepin' the author's note tradition runnin' strong! Heheh. Just thought I'd pop in to let everyone know that I wrote this chapter a little bit differently. The story is going to flip back and forth periodically between Houjun's childhood memories and his present-day experiences. You'll know the transition by the indents and italics, naturally, but just keep in mind that these _are not_ the typical flash-back scenes - they're just memories I felt like writing. Couldn't resist!_

**

Verse Twelve: SANKYUTARI  
--Sanctuary--

**

"Hand in hand, we used to play up on this hill.   
The same wind from back then seems to be blowing today.  
'Ancient memories,' 'shining eyes'  
Called back from the dimness,   
These memories are coming together."  
~Okui Masami; "Sora ni Kakeru Hashi" (A Bridge Soaring Across the Sky)~

The next two weeks passed by in a hellish haze of nightmares, visions and headaches for Houjun, who was helpless to stop the unwanted memories from striking him at any given time, from attacking when he least expected them. There didn't seem to be any escape for him, no matter what he did or where he went. School, home, the marketplace... something always triggered his waiting nightmare, something would force him to face another disturbing vision, another piercing headache, another memory he could not possibly possess. 

The young man had eventually slipped into a tired, despairing silence that even his closest companions had a hard time of breaking him from. His parents and siblings did what they could for their beloved family member, but nothing seemed to work. He always insisted that he was fine, even when it was obvious to all that he most definitely was not. Houjun even continued going to school, though he was so distracted from his studies that he could remember almost nothing from the past lessons. His grades and social life had been dropping dramatically, with everyone - including himself - helpless to prevent it. 

Kouran and Hikou had grown increasingly worried about their friend, and had spent many nights in one another's company, discussing what to do about his current state. Finally, the pair reached a solution that neither had particularly wanted to make: they would have to get Houjun to tell them about his visions. The longer he kept them bottled up, the harder it would become for him to continue living. No matter how painful it might be, they knew it had to be done: for Houjun's sake, and for their own. 

The trio of friends were walking to school, as they always did, when Kouran finally got up the nerve to speak. "Houjun," she said timidly, touching her hand lightly his. "Hikou and I came to a decision, recently." 

"Did you?" he asked quietly, not bothering to turn his tired eyes up from the dirt road they walked, almost as if he were afraid to focus on anything but the familiar path to school. 

The young woman nodded. She took a breath to gather her courage and her thoughts, then spoke gently to her beloved. "We've decided that you have got to talk to someone about what's been happening these past few weeks. About these... headaches. Whatever it is that's got you so depressed, so quiet and distracted, well... nobody can help you with it unless you tell them what it's wrong. I know you prefer to keep your personal problems to yourself, but..." 

"Sometimes you've just gotta _talk_, ya know?" Hikou interjected, picking up the narrative with a bit less gentleness but no less passion than his female companion. "Hell, Houjun, you haven't been acting like yourself at all recently. You're quiet, anti-social, always thinking about something else, and your grades have plummeted in the past two weeks, which, to be honest, may very well be a sign of the apocalypse. Even when your own _grandmother_ died, you didn't let that happen!" 

"Yukari-san spoke to me, the other day," Kouran continued. "She said that she, and the rest of your family, are really scared for you: for your physical _and_ mental health. To see you so... not yourself... a lot of people care about you, Houjun. We want to see you happy. And we want to help you become that happy, optimistic person we all love again. We're worried about you, Houjun. _I'm_ worried about you." 

The young man was silent for a time, following a speck of dirt across the ground as the wind carried it lazily along. After a moment, he sighed heavily and nodded. "Hai. I know," he said quietly. "I've been trying so hard not to make everyone worry, but... the harder I try, the more worked up everybody else gets. I wish there was something I could do..." 

Kouran put a hand on Houjun's right arm at the same time Hikou clapped his hand to his left shoulder. "There is something you can do," the young woman assured him. "You can talk to us, Houjun. About headaches, visions, dreams... anything you need to talk about, you know you can talk about it with us. That's how it's always been. And that's how it'll always be." 

He could tell that the two of them were waiting expectantly, but he didn't know what to tell his closest friends. If he refused to tell them about it - refused because he knew it would bring them pain - it would only result in worsening their current pain. He couldn't win. Like in everything, these days, he just couldn't win. 

Houjun turned his eyes upwards, letting them fall upon the school building that stood at the end of the block. His heart sunk at the thought of another day stuck in class, trying to pretend everything was normal, trying to pretend he was normal. How could he ace tests when his mind was a thousand miles away? How could he laugh with his classmates when his life was so very humourless, when the next word might trigger a headache, or the next teacher's lesson unleash a new "memory"? The thought of continuing such a terrible act made him sick; he was tired of playing his given role for the sake of others. 

"Do you think..." he asked quietly, momentarily avoiding their question. "Do you think we could go somewhere else, today? Going to school, acting like life is perfect... I don't think I can stand that charade another day..." 

Hikou and Kouran's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed again in understanding. The young man was the first to speak. "What's this? The angelic Ri Houjun, cutting class?" he chuckled. "Now I _know_ it's the beginning of the apocalypse." 

Kouran grabbed Houjun's hand, turning him around and forcing him to meet her eyes. She smiled assuredly, speaking for both she and Hikou. "That sounds like a great idea, Jun-kun," she said, using his childhood nickname. "And I think I know the perfect place to go." 

"You do?" he asked, a small flicker of hope in his deadened mahogany eyes. Somewhere to go. An escape. When was the last time he had been blessed with one of those? "Where?" 

His beloved's gentle smile turned into a mischievous grin. She winked, wagging a finger in front of his face. "Where else but paradise itself?"

Houjun looked around the crowded schoolyard, searching for a familiar face among all the new ones. Though so far his first day of school had been wonderfully interesting, it was still a little intimidating and he didn't want to sit with any strangers right now. After a moment, he spotted Kouran sitting next to another boy; clutching his lunch to his chest, he trotted over to join them. 

"Hao, Kou-chan!" 

"Hao, Jun-kun!" she replied with a smile, scooting over on the log to give him some room to sit down. "What did your mama pack for you? Do ya wanna trade or share?" 

"Mm!" Houjun nodded. His mahogany eyes turned towards the other boy who was on the log. Houjun recognized him as one of the children his age who sat in the corner of the classroom. He hadn't spoken to him yet that day, but he had noticed him quietly watching the teacher with his dark eyes. 

His midnight blue hair was tied back in a short topknot, and he sported clothing that had seen much better days. He looked up at the young boy with defensive, somewhat challenging eyes; Houjun hesitated, but then decided to be nice and mustered up his courage to speak. 

"Hao! I'm Ri Houjun. I guess you've already met Kou-chan. We've been friends for forever, that's why we call each other that. I haven't seen you around town before. What's your name?" 

"Yamazaki Hikou," he said quietly, voice a low growl - or perhaps a shy whisper? "I just moved in from the country. That's why you never seen me b'fore." 

"Yoroshiku," Houjun said politely. "Do you wanna share and trade lunches with me and Kou-chan? My mama packed some pretty good stuff!" 

He scuffed his slippered foot into the ground, not meeting Houjun's gaze. "Don't have any lunch." 

"How come? Didn't your mama make you one?" 

"Don't got a mama." 

"Well, then didn't your papa make you one?" 

"Papa's too busy," Hikou muttered. "I bother him with stuff like that and he'll get mad. 'Sides, we don't got enough money for things like that." 

Houjun frowned. He was much too young to understand the difference between rich and poor, but his father had told him that he was extremely lucky to be as well-off as he was, and that he needed to always be generous to those who weren't as lucky. He assumed that Hikou was one of those people. "Well..." Houjun dug through his sack, until he produced some plump, juicy-looking fruits and two rice cakes. "Here! You can have these! My mama packed way too much for me to eat anyway." 

Hikou looked at the food in surprise and apprehension, almost as if he expected them to be poisoned. Maybe, Houjun thought, he wasn't used to people being nice to him. He certainly looked like he'd had a particularly hard life for a six-year old. Timidly, the dark-haired boy held out his hands; Houjun dropped the food into them, giving his friendliest smile. "A... arigatou." 

"No problem!" Houjun assured him. He took a seat between Hikou and Kouran, watching with a giggle as the newcomer practically inhaled the offered meal. "Do you wanna be our friend? I haven't met anyone at school yet so it'd be nice to have a friend." 

Hikou looked up, dark eyes wide with surprise. "T-tomodachi?" 

"Hai!" Kouran spoke up, leaning around Houjun to look at the other boy. "I like you. You can call me Kou-chan. You can have some of my lunch too, if you wanna." 

"A... arigatou, Kou-chan, Ri-kun." 

"Just call me Houjun-kun, Hikou-kun!" 

"H-hai, Houjun-kun..." 

A few minutes later the three comrades stood before a moss- and vine-covered, apparently solid wall of stone. The wall rose several feet above their heads, then tapered off into a hill that gently sloped the other direction. The hill had been used for years as a playground for many of the village's children, but the stone cliff itself had always been regarded as somewhat dangerous - many had been injured, falling from the steep precipice and to the rock-littered ground below. Which, Houjun reasoned, was probably why nobody had discovered this heavenly secret before he and his friends, and why nobody probably _would_ discover it again for many years to come. 

At the moment, though, it looked as if the secret was going to stay a secret. Hikou was currently running his hands along the vines, poking around the center of the rock face for something only he and his two companions knew about. 

Houjun leaned against the wall, tapping one foot impatiently. "Are you _sure_ this is the place?" 

"Of course I'm sure, I used to come here all the time without the two of you! Hell, this was more my home than my actual home was!" Hikou responded with mock severity. At the mention of his home away from home, the young man smiled fondly. "Heh, it's been a while since I've been back here... not since I was fifteen, I think... be nice to see how the old place is doing." 

"If we can ever get inside," Houjun shot back with a small smile. He paused thoughtfully, then frowned as an idea struck him. "Oi... you don't think there was a rock slide or something, do you? That maybe the entrance was blocked off, or that the whole thing was..." he trailed off, not wanting to consider the idea. To have such a place ruined, such a beautiful, hidden oasis that he now needed more than ever... 

Kouran chuckled at her companions' efforts. "No, I don't think that's it. I just think that Hikou's looking in the right place at the wrong spot." 

"Eh?" the taller of the two men raised an eyebrow, shooting his childhood friend a questioning stare. "And what, may I ask, O All-Knowing Koujo-sama, is _that_ supposed to mean?" 

She shook her head at his indignation, then knelt next to her two friends. "Baka. We were a lot shorter back then, weren't we? The entrance wouldn't have been as high as your hands are now - it would've been further down, maybe about halfway. Like, perhaps, right about..." Kouran pulled apart a set of vines, smiling and gesturing towards a wide but low-roofed tunnel. "Here?" 

Hikou bowed gracefully, lowering his head in feigned shame. "Forgive my incurable rudeness, Koujo-sama. Your words are much wiser than my own." He courteously grabbed the slippery vines from her grasp, holding them well away from the entrance so his friends could fit through unscathed. "In penance, I'll be the footman today, all right? You and Houjun go on in and make sure the place is in good shape, then I'll see if I can squeeze my overgrown body into this little hole." As Kouran, doubled over, crept into the old hideout, Hikou glanced up and winked at his male companion. "Looks like your small size will actually come in handy for once, doesn't it little guy?" 

"Hi-kouuuu...!"

__

"Kou-chan, are you sure this is where you found it?" 

"Sure I'm sure!" the little girl argued, shoving at the stone wall in search of an opening. "When me 'n' Airi-chan-tachi were playing hide-and-seek yesterday, I came over here to find a good place and accidently fell through these vines. It's gotta be here, somewhere." 

"Sure hope no one finds us messin' around out here," Houjun remarked, glancing about somewhat fearfully. "You know we're not really s'posed to be out here, 'cause of the kids that've gotten hurt tryin' to climb and fallin' from this thing, and all." 

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy-neko, Jun-kun!" Hikou said with a snort. "What're they gonna do if they find us, huh? My Papa isn't gonna care about somethin' like this, and your parents never done anything worse to you than ground ya for a week." The boy leaned against the side of the stone wall, putting his hands behind his head and yawning. "Anyway, I think Kou-chan's makin' stuff up. Ain't no way there's a cave around this - yikes!" 

With a yelp and a whump, Hikou fell backwards into the mossy stone wall, disappearing entirely from his friends' view. Houjun leapt up from where he was sitting, rushing over to the spot where his best friend had disappeared. "Hi-kun!? Hi-kun, doko ka?" 

Houjun glanced down, jumping in surprise as his comrade's head peeked its way out of a veil of vines. Hikou glanced up, grinning and giggling helplessly. "Heehee, looks like I found Kou-chan's hiding place! It ain't very friendly, though, draggin' me in like that!" 

The female member of the trio put her hands on her hips, scowling down at her young friend. "That's what you get for calling me a fibber, Hi-kun! Now, come on, pull those vines back and let me and Jun-kun through." 

"Right away, Koujo-sama!" Hikou did as he was told, waiting until his two friends were in the short tunnel before letting the vines drop back into place, sealing the trio in a world of murky darkness. 

Kouran grabbed onto Houjun's arm, peering ahead into the shadows. "I don't think I like this anymore, Jun-kun. It's too dark for anything fun, anyway. Maybe we ought to forget about it." 

He smiled down at her, waving a dismissive hand. "Aw, c'mon, Kou-chan, it's nothing to be afraid of. Maybe it'll lighten up a bit as we go. Look, we're almost at the end of the tunnel, so let's just see what's in here." 

"B-but what about monsters, Jun-kun? The older kids at school say they like to hide out in dark caves." 

"Aw, don't worry Kou-chan, me 'n' Hi-kun'll protect you from any monsters. An' anyway, I don't think they'd wanna live in a little cave like this. Not enough room for a real demon, know what I mean?" 

The trio took a few more steps into the darkness, until the tunnel widened quite abruptly into a spacious cave. Moss glistened off the walls of the small cavern, reflecting the light that streamed through a few holes in the ceiling. A little stream even sat in one corner of the area, bubbling forth from an underground spring only to travel a few feet and disappear once more into the ground. Houjun, Hikou and Kouran gaped at the sight, transfixed by the simple beauty of their discovered hideaway. 

"It must take up the entire hill," Kouran whispered, almost as if she were afraid that speaking would break the spell that hung over the cavern. She pulled away from her deathlock on Houjun's arm, taking a few steps forward to explore the cave further. "Like someone hollowed the whole thing out, just for us..." 

Houjun grinned, his creative brain already whirling. "Sou da [That's right], just for us, Kou-chan! Suzaku must've known we needed someplace special to go, where we could play all day without anyone else bothering us! And this is what he made for us!" The boy, now on a roll, spread his arms as if to embrace the entire cavern. "Suzaku put magic spells all around it, so no one else'll ever find it! This is our_ cave, just the three of us! And when we're here, nobody'll be able to find _us_, either! We'll always be safe, from bullies an' monsters an' teachers an', an'..." _

"An' fathers, too...?" 

Houjun and Kouran whirled at the sound of their third companion's voice. Hikou was still standing in the entrance of the cave, staring around as if he could live off the sight of the oddly majestic place. He glanced over at his friends hopefully, eyes shining with the threat of tears. "Nobody... nobody can find us here? We're absolutely safe? Nobody can hurt us, or...?" His lower lip trembled, as if he were afraid to believe something so good could be true. 

The pair of children nodded, walking over and grabbing Hikou's hands. Houjun smiled his best "daijoubu" smile, tugging at his friend's arm as he drug him towards the center of the cave. "That's right, Hi-kun. In here, there's nothing but the three of us. No other worries, no other problems... no other people. It's like another world. And it's all ours." 

"All ours...?" Kouran stopped suddenly, turning to look at her friends "Hey guys, let's make a pact! Let's promise never to tell anyone else about this, no matter what, okay? This'll be our Secret Place, like Jun-kun said. Just the three of us." 

Her two male companions glanced at one another, then smiled and nodded. "Mm!" 

Kouran held out her pinkie; her friends looped theirs around hers. The trio paused for a moment, closed their eyes, then all said at once: "A secret's a secret and a lie's a lie, I won't tell 'till the day I die. And if I ever ever ever_ break this promise, I hope that lightning'll strike me twice! Pin - kie - swear - it!" _

"Eternal truth, shine through," Kouran finished solemnly. She looked up again, breaking away from her companions and glancing up at the cave. "Well, we've got a secret hideout! I guess all we need now is a name!" 

Houjun looked up as well, eyes sparkling with the prospect of using his imagination once more. "A name? You think we oughta give it a name?" 

"Sure!" Kouran agreed, waving a hand at the surrounding area. "We gotta have some kind of code for it, that way we can talk about it during school without anyone knowing! Besides, it's a special base, and you've gotta give a special base a name!" 

The boy put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing as he searched his brain for a fitting description. "Hm... let's see... it's kinda like our Fortress, all for us, isn't it? Hm, but what kind of Fortress? It's so big, but Hidoi Toride doesn't really sound all that good. It's a secret, but Oumyou Toride just isn't right, either. Hm..." 

"Paradaisu." 

Once again, Kouran and Houjun found themselves whirling to face the third member of their group, who had been more-or-less silent since his initial outburst. The young boy had walked over to a nearby wall; he was currently staring hard at the stone, touching it with one hand almost reverently. 

"Hi-kun?" 

"It's perfect," he whispered quietly, the cavern carrying his small voice over to his friends. "Everything about it... it's just so perfect... it's like some kind of paradise." He turned his head towards his best friends, tears of joy pouring freely down his face. "We'll always be safe in here. And we'll always be happy in here. Nobody can hurt us, ever. So let's call it Paradaisu no Toride." 

Kouran walked over and hugged her comrade tightly, letting him cry out his happiness into her dress. Houjun made his way over to his two allies, putting a friendly hand on Hikou's trembling shoulder. He smiled gently across the young boy's back, meeting Kouran's eyes. She returned the happy smile. If they could bring such delight to the young boy's dismal world, then their hideout had already served its most beautiful purpose. 

"All right, Hi-kun. Paradaisu no Toride it is." 

Houjun swiveled wildly, trying to take in the entire cavern at once. He had not visited the old hideaway since his fourteenth birthday, and was surprised at how much of it he had forgotten. The fountain of fresh spring water that they would splash one another with; the craggy walls they would climb and the hanging vines they would swing from; the rock pile in the corner that had served as many forts and palaces in years of pretend playing... the list continued endlessly. A chuckle - a noise he had hardly made in the past weeks - tore its way from the young man's throat. Now _here_ were memories he knew, memories he could understand and love! 

Hikou's laughter brought the young man out of his quiet reverie. "Haha, does this place ever bring back some memories!" He nodded towards a small rock that jutted out from the edge of the cave. "Remember when we used to play 'Byakko Seishi' over there? Me and Houjun used to switch between Tatara and that demon lord - what was his name? - oh, yeah, Tenkou! Man, we never quit thinking up plotlines for that one!" 

Kouran frowned, taking a delicate seat on the ground. "For the longest time, I _hated_ that game! You two always made me play Suzuno, and I got so tired of being the damsel in distress." 

Houjun grinned, turning to face his two friends. "Hai, that's right. And one day you got fed up with it and told us so, you remember? Hikou started saying how you had to play the girl, because you were one, and only men were fit to play heroes and villains..." 

"And then she made _me_ play Suzuno!" Hikou reminisced, feigning anger. 

"I'll never forget how well he shrieked when Kouran dangled him over the 'cliff', threatening to toss him to his death!" Houjun exclaimed, taking a seat on the stone floor as he was arrested by a fit of chuckles. 

"And I'll never forget how well Kouran played Tenkou! She kicked our asses in that role," Hikou added, throwing his female friend a wink. "Hell hath no fury like that of a woman playing a demon, ne?" 

"Oh yeah? Well _I'll_ never forget how, when Houjun tried to save the 'miko in danger,' he tripped over a stone, grabbed wildly at the so-called maiden, and you both wound up falling off the rock!" Kouran finished, smiling teasingly at her beloved. "I looked over that ledge at the two of you, little 'Suzuno' pinned under 'Tatara' in the most provocative position, and nearly fell off myself, I was laughing so hard." 

Houjun slapped the ground in memory. "And then, and then, Hikou said-" 

"Dammit, Tatara, not until _after_ the wedding!" they all cried at once, bursting into helpless peals of laughter. 

Hikou took off across the cavern again, looking around at all the familiar locations. "See, Houjun?" he said once the chuckles had subsided. "This is what you needed, to get away from the real world for a while, just like we used to do when we were kids." He glanced over at his friend, waiting expectantly. "Now, maybe if you could tell us about what's bothering you, we could really set things right." 

The young man turned his gaze away from his companion's. He still had no answer to give. He didn't know what he could possibly tell them, anyway. Didn't know _how_ he could possibly tell them about it: about the kiss, the flood, their own deaths... 

Once again, the dark-haired man's voice brought Houjun away from his private world and back to reality. "Oi, Houjun! Hey, c'mon, come over here and check this out! Haha, I can't believe it hasn't rubbed off yet!" 

The high schooler turned, following the sound of his friend's voice to a small outcropping of rocks near the underground spring. Hikou was gesturing wildly at something on the wall, while Kouran knelt at his feet and touched a hand to the same thing he was pointing towards. Houjun jogged the few meters to his two friends, chuckling good-naturedly at their excitement. "Okay, okay, what is it that's got you so..." 

He trailed off, eyes falling on a charcoal inscription scrawled on the wall of the cavern. It was poorly written in sloppy, fourth-grade handwriting, with the kanji signs tilting this way and that at almost unreadable angles. Nevertheless, as far as Houjun was concerned, it was the most beautiful artwork in the world. 

_"Paradaisu no Toride"_ it read crookedly at the top. _"Founded by Ri Houjun - Yamazaki Hikou - Suzunami Kouran."_ Underneath their separately written names was a phrase they had created, probably based on something they had heard before, though none of them could truly remember where it originated. It was magnificently simple, and somehow perfect, just like their paradise. _"Zutto - Toki no Hate Made."_

"Always - 'Till the End of Time," Kouran said aloud. "I wonder, when we wrote that, if we meant this hideout, or our friendship?" 

Houjun knelt next to his beloved, touching one finger to the kanji for _"Zutto."_ A small smile crept its way onto his mouth. "Who knows? It was such a long time ago, we probably didn't even know what we were talking about. But I think it was probably a little bit of both." 

"It went a lot deeper than that, though," Hikou remarked quietly. His two companions looked up, unused to his teasing tone sounding so serious. The young man leaned against the cavern wall, arms crossed thoughtfully over his chest as his eyes following the path of the nearby burbling stream. "It was more like a pledge, in a way. Always, we could come here when we needed safety. Always, we could go to each other when we needed safety. Always, we could find strength here - and in one another - to somehow make it through anything that got thrown our way. We always had that. 'Till the end of time..." 

Houjun blinked in surprise, touched by Hikou's heartfelt words. No matter how long he knew his friend, he never failed to throw him for a loop. It was amazing, really, the way he could be this cunning jokester one minute, then so passionate and mature the next. But that was what made him such a likeable person, wasn't it? 

And he was right, too, the young man thought to himself. No matter what had happened in their lives, they had always had one another. That's why he was so strong, why he had succeeded so well in school, and in life. Not because of his own strength, but because of the combined strength of himself and his companions. That was why he was suffering so much now. And that was why, he realized suddenly, he had to tell them everything. 

Houjun closed his eyes, nodding to himself in understanding. He sat back on his heels, looking first at his beloved, then at his best friend. The young man took a breath, managing the flicker of a smile in their directions. "So, you want to hear about these headaches, do you?"

__

Hikou poked his head around the cavern opening, looking around the cave for something. After a moment, his adolescent face broke into a smile of relief. He turned, gesturing for his companion to hurry. "Found her! Hah, what'd I tell ya - I knew_ this is where she'd be!" _

Houjun followed his friend into the Toride, glancing around until his eyes fell on the form of their third member, sitting near the underground stream. He frowned worriedly, padding across the ground in his slippered feet. "Kouran, what're you doing in here? Your parents have been looking for you for hours, and they're worried sick! We've been looking all over town for you - Hikou just now figured on checking in here." 

"Good thing I did, too," the boy gloated, crossing the cavern a few steps behind Houjun. "Now, c'mon, what do you say we get outta here, huh? It's almost dinnertime, and-" he froze in mid-sentence, mouth dropping open in surprise as he came up to his female friend. The young girl had her head between her knees and was cryly freely, unable to cover her feelings in front of her friends. 

Houjun put a hand on her shaking shoulder, trying to steady her with actions and words. "Oi, Kouran, what is it? What's wrong?" 

"I'm not going back!" she sobbed, a note of defiance in her broken tones. "I won't go back, I refuse, and there's nothing you or Hikou or anyone else can say that'll change my mind! I won't marry him, I won't_!" _

Hikou blinked, unused to seeing his calm, quiet friend in such an emotional state. "Marry him?" he repeated in confusion. "Marry who_, Kouran? What're you talking about?" _

"Otoo-san... Otoo-san told me today..." she sniffled, lifting her head so she could meet her friends' worried eyes with her own tear-filled ones. "He said he was gonna make arrangements with the Katsuragi family - you know, with their oldest son, Yuzuriko, that whiny kid a couple years older than us? - for me and him to get married!" 

"Married!" Houjun laughed at the idea, surprised by the jolt of pain that went through his heart at the thought. "Kouran, no way your dad would do something like that! You're barely thirteen - you've still got a couple of years before you're at marrying age." 

She shook her head, wiping a hand across her eyes as she did. "That's true, but, Otoo-san said he wants to make the arrangements early, so everything will be taken care of... he says the Katsuragi family has always been really close to our family, and that he still owes them a favor from back when he was younger, so, so..." 

She felt tears leak their way out of her eyes again, but had no way to stop them. "I told him I didn't want to, that I didn't love Yuzuriko, didn't even like him all that much, but he doesn't care what I want! Nobody does! I'm just a girl, after all, no one stops to think that I might have feelings, or dreams, or wants, or... it's not fair! I hate this!" 

Hikou frowned, shifting nervously, unsure of what to say. "Kou-chan..." 

"We care what you want," Houjun said suddenly, fire burning in his eyes. "You're right, Kouran, you shouldn't be forced to marry Yuzuriko-senpai! You should have the right to choose who you spend the rest of your life with, no matter who you are! Tell your father you refuse, tell him that no matter what he says or does you won't get married to that guy!" 

"But what if he doesn't listen?" Hikou asked quietly, dark eyes turned inwards, as if he were thinking about something faraway. "Or worse: what if he does listen, and gets angry? What if he forces her... or, or beats her... or disowns her? Parents are like that - not yours, Houjun, but most of them are like that. It's about honor, and upholding the family name... or just being useless and 'in the way all the time.' Your feelings don't matter." He looked down, adding in a voice barely above a whisper: "Your pain doesn't matter." 

Kouran looked from one friend to another, then clenched her fists and stood resolutely. "If he won't listen to me, then, then I'll run away! I'll run away as far as I can, all the way to the Imperial City, or maybe even to another country! As far as I have to go, until nobody will tell me what I can and can't do! Until I can just be who I wanna be..." 

Houjun swung a friendly arm around his female companion's shoulder. "That could get kinda lonely, Kou-chan," he said, using her childhood nickname. He winked in Hikou's direction. "You might need a couple of fellow dilinquints to run away with you. You know, to keep you company, and protect you if you need it." 

The girl blinked in surprise, whirling her head first to look at Houjun, then Hikou. "Y-you'd do that for me? You'd leave your family... and your friends... all for my sake?" 

The dark-haired boy shrugged, unable to meet people's eyes when he was embarassed. "Well, sure we would, Kouran. We're best friends, ain't we?" He glanced up, smiling a little, almost hopefully. "Besides, I always kinda wanted to run off, anyway, so..." 

"I hear the Imperial City's beautiful in the spring," Kouran exclaimed with a laugh, worry and tears vanishing as quickly as they had come. "And they say Hokkan gets snow! Real snow, not like the flurries we get around here. Oh, and it wouldn't be scary at all, if you were there with me...!" 

Houjun chuckled, swinging his other arm around Hikou's shoulder and steering his two friend's to the door. He had been nearby when his father and spoken to Kouran's father, and already knew that Doctor Suzunami had called off the engagement immediately after his daughter's disappearance. His friends didn't necessarily have to know that, though. "We can make travel plans later, if we have to, but first, let's try talking to your father. Maybe he'll understand." 

Kouran nodded, no longer afraid. With her two closest friends by her side, ready to stand with her through anything, how could she have anything to fear? "Right!" 

"...And everybody... everybody, every last person in Kyokujitsu except for me is dead. My parents, my brother and sister... the two of you..." Houjun looked up, the fear of his visions clearly visible in his mahogany eyes. "There's so much pain. So much terrible sorrow and guilt, I can't stand it. I couldn't stand it if it happened, either, but that's exactly what I'm afraid of! I'm so scared that it'll all come true... that it'll all happen just like I saw it happening..." 

His quiet voice trailed off, echoing about the cavern before vanishing completely. The Toride was dead silent for a long moment, Kouran and Hikou's faces carefully void of the emotions that raged in their hearts. The incidents of those few days, and that terrible night, still remained painfully vivid in their own minds. But to hear Houjun describe them from his standpoint, to have it told in the words of the friend whose whole world they had helped destroy... 

Kouran looked away, hastily blinking back tears that had unexpectedly come to her eyes. She opened her mouth to apologize, to plead his forgiveness for her sins, to make him understand how deeply she still loved him, had always loved him, but at the last second she remembered herself, and what she was doing. No. This was not the time or the place for that. She could settle such issues after this charade was over, after they were in heaven together. 

The young woman regained her self-control, and smiled assuredly in Houjun's direction. "It's all right," she told him. "You don't have to be afraid of something like that. It won't happen. It'll _never_ happen." 

"That's right," Hikou agreed immediately, knowing that if he didn't Kouran would have his head for it later. "Kouran and I... we'd never betray you, Houjun. You know that." He glanced over at his female friend and forced a smile. "Ch, I'm about as interested in Kouran as I am in my sister, and that's a promise." Which wasn't a lie, he reminded himself. The passion and jealousy of one day didn't count as true love, and before and after that afternoon he _had_ thought of her like a sister. 

Houjun had to accept that answer, because he couldn't bear to think of the alternative. "I know you're right. Deep down, I know you've got to be right. That's one of the reasons I didn't want to tell anybody about these; it's all so dramatic, so unbelievable, that even I have trouble believing it's happening!" 

He lowered his tone again, afraid to voice his next thoughts but knowing he must. "Which brings me to my second reason for not telling you until now. I'm afraid, you know. I'm afraid that, if people knew the kind of stuff I was seeing, well... you can imagine. How the town would talk, how my parents would fuss and worry, how my siblings would think that their brother was going crazy, how the two of you might even desert me-" 

"Never!" Kouran said, gentle voice unusually loud and fierce. 

The young man jerked his head up, surprised at the fire that was burning in his beloved's eyes. "Kouran...?" 

"We would never desert you, Houjun! Never, ever think that Hikou and I would do something so low!" she cried, clenching her fists in twin balls of determination. "I don't know what's going on with you, not really, but that doesn't make any difference to me! You're still Ri Houjun, still the boy I became friends with, still the man I fell in love with! These visions, or whatever they are... nothing will ever change that!" 

Hikou clapped a friendly hand on the young man's shoulder. "We'll always be here for you. Even if your stupid headaches never stop, even if your visions get worse, Kouran and I will never leave your side. We're strongest when we're together, and just like you always used to help me stand when I was younger, now I'm gonna help you do the same thing. Kouran and I will take part of your pain and troubles, and shoulder them with you, until you can do it on your own again. That's what friends _do_, right? Zutto - toki no hate made. Remember, Hou-?" The young man jerked his hand away, surprised by the up-and-down movement of Houjun's back. His friend was crying. "Eh? Houjun? D-daijoubu ka?" 

"I don't deserve this," he said quietly, smiling through his tears. "I don't deserve the two of you. _No one_ deserves a gift like the two of you." He glanced up, wiping the tears of relief from his eyes. "Thank you. For everything. Thank you."

__

Houjun glanced up at the three tall boys blocking his way home. They were the three biggest kids in his class, and consequently the ones that enjoyed pushing others around. Inwardly, he groaned to himself - he was in no mood to deal with this trio of stupid bullies - but tried to put on a friendly face as he neared the small gang. 

"Hello," he said pleasantly, forcing a smile. "Is there something you needed?" They just glared at him, one with a dangerous smirk on his face. Houjun decided to try a slightly different tactic. "Well, if you're not waiting for me, then would you mind letting me through? My house is just a little ways down this road, and I sort of need to get home." 

"Why?" asked the leader, a burly fellow by the name of Gohei. "So you can get started on your precious homework?" 

"Actually, yes," he agreed, jerking his head towards the bag on his back. "We got a lot in math today, so I figured I ought to get to work on it. You should probably get home, too, so you can..." he trailed off, taking a step back as Gohei's grin turned into a scowl. "Da..." 

"I'm gettin' real sick of you and your little girlfriend always showin' everybody else up in class," he growled. He reached out a hand and shoved the boy's shoulder in a silent challenge. "You must think you're somethin' pretty special, doncha?" 

He shrugged, determined not to let his fear show in his voice. Shinsei had once told him that that was what bullies liked best: knowing you were scared. "Not really. I just work hard. If you wanted some help, I'd be glad to give it to you." 

Gohei shoved him again, smirking slightly. He had always held a special dislike for the popular Ri boy, and now that he was alone, without his posse of friends, he could finally take his building emotions out on his fellow student. "I'd never accept help from a little prick like you. Though, I wouldn't mind beatin' some-a those smarts outta your head." 

Houjun was trembling slightly, but stood his ground. "I'm not going to fight you," he told him firmly. "There's no point to it." 

"I think we'll_ decide what's got a point and what doesn't!" Gohei snarled, sending the smaller boy to the ground with a sharp uppercut. "I'm so damn tired of an arrogant little shit like you gettin' all the attention around here, like you're somethin' special. Just 'cause your dad's got that fancy job and you get a couple of good grades don't mean nothin'. Let's see what you're really made of, where it really counts, out here with fists." _

Houjun dropped his bag of school supplies, wiping the blood from his lip and turning to face the bigger student. He clenched his fists at his sides, fighting off the urge to wipe Gohei's cocky smirk off his face. He had used his small weapons before - standing up for Hikou when someone made fun of his life of poverty, protecting Kouran from some of the school perverts - but he would not use them now. His father always said that violence was, at times, a necessary evil, but only at times. Dirtying them on a poor street punk who probably deserved pity over hate was not a good enough reason. There was only shame, for both of them, in a battle like this. 

"I'm not going to fight you," he said again, wondering why the trio had stopped advancing. "There's no reason to fight about something like this. I refuse." 

"Oh? Well, then, d'you mind if I_ do?" _

Houjun jerked around at the familiar voice, surprised to find his best friend standing protectively over him. "Hikou!?" 

A girl rushed to his side, touching his already swelling face worriedly. "Houjun, are you all right? You're not hurt too badly, are you?" 

His eyes widened further. It was just one surprise after another. "Kouran!?" 

Hikou turned to the trio, grinning almost hungrily. "Three against one, huh? Hm, against Houjun, that hardly seems fair." He paused thoughtfully, then crouched in a fighting stance and smiled again. "Come to think of it, against me, that hardly seems fair." 

There was only one person in school that Gohei feared. That one person was standing in front of him. The boy turned to run, but before he could take off Hikou was on him and his friends like a beast from hell, delivering his judgment in a series of quick punches and equally quick commentary. 

"Y'know, you're a lot stupider than even I thought you were," he remarked as he knocked Gohei to the ground, knocking a few of his teeth out in the process. "First off, if you had any sense you'd know that picking on Houjun is like asking_ me to kick your ass. Secondly, don't you think jealousy is a really stupid reason to fight? Now see, I'm fighting 'cause you were harassing my best friend, which is a perfectly good reason to kick the crap out of somebody-" _

Hikou ducked a half-hearted blow thrown by one of Gohei's friends, sending back his own punch without skipping a beat, "And third and finally, here's a thought: instead of picking on one of the smartest kids in your class, ever thought of getting help from him? Ever thought of getting know him? He's a pretty nice guy, you know, even if he is kinda shrimpy." 

Houjun rolled his working eye, allowing Kouran to fuss about his blackened eye and swollen lip. "I guess that was supposed to be a compliment." He glanced over at his female friend, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "How'd you know this was happening, anyway? Lucky timing?" 

"Hardly," she assured him, dabbing at his bloody lip with the hem of her dress. "Hikou heard a rumor that Gohei and his group were going to try something like this, and we came as fast as we could. You're just lucky we showed up when we did - those three against anybody but Hikou is a punishment waiting to happen. Speaking of Hikou..." 

The pair turned their eyes back to the fight, which had essentially ended. Their young friend stood over the trembling Gohei-tachi, nothing but disgust in his eyes. "You know, Gohei-kun, you and me really aren't all that different. We're poor as dirt, our parents are dead, and I wouldn't be surprised if your father beat the shit out of you when you were little, too." 

The dark-haired boy's eyes narrowed. "But there is one thing that separates us. You know what that is? No? Well, that's all right, I'll tell ya. You're what people expect from our station in life, and I'm not. I had the choice between bein' like you and your pals, or makin' somethin' of myself. I chose number two." He glanced over his shoulder at Houjun and Kouran, smiling slightly. "And I've got a couple of first-class people to thank for that." 

Once more, his merciless eyes fell on the other boys. "Lucky for you, I don't like to beat people as bad as you do - if I did, you wouldn't be able to walk, isn't that right? So I'm gonna give you a chance to get out of here. If you still wanna fight me, or Houjun or Kouran, then be my guest." His friendly smile turned into one of grim determination. "But this time, I won't hold back." 

Gohei and his gang were up from the ground and gone before Houjun had a chance to blink. 

Hikou turned back to his companions, stretching amiably. "Ah, haven't had a good fight like that in a while. It's always nice to use the ol' hands for something other than writing out english notes." He frowned in Houjun's direction, walking over to take a seat next to his companions. He put a hand to his friend's eye, whistling in appreciation. "That's gonna be a beauty in the morning. You're all right though, aren't you?" 

The other boy smiled, reopening the cut on his lip with the action and not caring. "I'm fine, now that you two are here." 

Kouran returned the smile, once more wiping away the blood with her dress. "Well, it isn't like you haven't done the same thing for us, you know." She winked. "We'll always be here for you, just like you're always here for us. That's what friends are_, deshou?" _

Hikou nodded in agreement. The street was silent for a moment, until the dark-haired boy broke it with a cackle of laughter. "Oi, minna, I just had a thought! Tomorrow in school, when Gohei-tachi and Houjun come in all bloodied and bruised, people are gonna wonder what happened, right?" He snickered again at his secret joke, fighting back the chuckles in order to tell his companions. "So, so, how about we tell everyone - haha - that Houjun_ single-handedly took the three of 'em out!" _

Kouran covered her mouth to stifle her giggles, then gave up and laughed freely. "Poor Gohei, he'll never be taken seriously again, not after people think he got wiped out by - ohoho - our little Houjun!" 

Their third companion scowled fiercely. "Hey, now, you two! It isn't that_ unbelievable!" He paused, trying his hardest to remain serious, but finally broke into laughter as well. "Ahahahaha! The looks on everyone's faces would be priceless! Houjun the Horrible, that's what they'll call me! Oh, it's just too perfect!"_

Houjun touched the outer wall of the cavern, saying a silent thank you to the home of his childhood. He and his companions had spent a wonderful day within it's walls, talking about days gone by and days still to come, but now he knew he had to say farewell. The paradise had performed its beautiful job once again, as Houjun's worries had been eased and his bonds of friendship further strengthened. "Arigatou, Paradaisu," he whispered quietly. 

Kouran put a hand against his shoulder, giving it a light, comforting squeeze. "It really _is_ like an enchanted fortress, isn't it? No matter what our problems were... no matter what sort of chaos went on in our lives... we could find sanctuary here, couldn't we? For at least a few hours, it was like the whole world would vanish, like the only people who existed were the three of us." She sighed. "But I guess everyone has to face the full impact of reality eventually. Maybe that's why we stopped coming here, after we turned fourteen." 

Houjun nodded, smiling a little. "Funny, isn't it? We thought we had outgrown paradise. But, when you think about it, maybe paradise outgrew _us_. Maybe we just got too old, learned too much, to be able to live in that carefree way anymore." 

"Still," Hikou said quietly, almost reverantly, "still, I don't think... I don't think paradise is something that you lose. Maybe it just takes on a different form as you get older, know what I mean? Whether it's in a person, or a career, or a place, whatever it is you love above all else... everyone's got something like that, somewhere." The man turned his head a little, grinning sheepishly at his companions. "You two... you two are _my_ paradise." 

Kouran's eyes widened in surprise. Houjun smiled and nodded in agreement. He patted the moss-covered stone again, smiling somewhat wistfully. "I don't think I'll ever come back here," he remarked, "even if I need another break from reality. I've found something better than a hidden cavern to ease my worries." The young man did not need to explain what that was - his companions knew well enough. It was the same way they felt. 

Hikou jerked a shoulder towards the village, which was only a few minutes' walk away. "Let's head home, you two. It's getting late, and I'm starved." 

Houjun walked silently between his companions, glancing at first one and then the other. He nodded his head, knowing what he had to do. The young man had found more than just peace of mind during his stay in the cavern: he had also reached a decision about what he was going to do about his headaches. Kouran and Hikou had told him that they would never leave him, that they were happy to help him shoulder any pain he might have. He had been touched by their offer, but also knew that he couldn't possibly put that kind of a burden on them. He loved them too much. He would do anything to keep away the pain that he had seen in their eyes - if only for a split second - after he had told them about the visions. 

He couldn't run away anymore, he knew that for certain. Tenshuru had said, _"The longer you run from things, the bigger they become,"_ but he hadn't completely understood her words until now. Ignoring his problems, pretending that they would disappear if he acted like they didn't exist... that was only making things worse. The visions were only going to get more violent, the headaches more painful, the nightmares more frequent. His family and friends would only fear for him more, and his waning health would only drop further. 

There was just one other thing he could possibly do, and it was the one thing he was most afraid of doing. He had to face his alien memories head on, without shying away from the terrible details. He had to find out what had actually happened, that night of the flood, had to find out why he felt responsible for everybody's deaths. He had to know what he had done that day, so that he could prevent it from happening - once, or ever again. 

Houjun took a breath, glancing at his companions and drawing strength from their laughter and smiles. He would need that remembered strength on the day he faced his inner demons, on the day he finally learned the truth behind his pain and sorrow. He would need his friends more than ever on that day, but hopefully, after it was over, he would be able to bear his troubles alone again, and give his own strength to those who did the same for him. 

He hoped he would not have to wait long for that day to come. 

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: November 14, 2003; 11:30 PM_

Hao, minna-san!  
Well, better late than never, right? If you consider schoolwork a good excuse for a one-week late chapter, then maybe you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. If you don't consider it a good excuse, then I was off in the" real world" trying to save Zion from the robots. Or, I had to take a quick trip to Mordor to throw a nasty piece of jewelry into a mountain. Or I was too busy hiding in a burned-down building searching for secrets about the VFD. Or...

**Random Chapter Comments**: Why yes, as a matter of fact this _is_ the "friendship" chapter! How ever did you guess? I promise that this is the very last CDC for this Movement, and we'll soon get back to the plotline... as well as the climax of the First Movement (should you fear? Oh, yes you should). On a slightly unrelated note, if by the end of this chapter you didn't completely _adore_ Hikou, I'm quitting my job as a writer. To be honest, I never liked him all that much, but then I started writing for him and, well... I just fell in love. *Grin* And speaking of falling in love, I've noticed a lot of people have fallen for the kawaii li'l Genji-kun. That makes Dee happy: one of her _few_ originals who isn't a villain is liked! Yay! *Squeezes Genji 'till he squeaks*

**Answering Reviews** Let's begin by welcoming our latest reviewers, Opaaru Tsuki-san and Werevamp-san! I hope you both enjoy your stay in the wacky world of "RFS," and if there's anything I can do to make you more comfortable, just hit the button located in the far left-hand corner (that's the review button) of your computer screen. Thank you.   
_--To Fire Pendant-san, on "CDC"s_ A CDC is the name I give to chapters that have no direct plotline purposes, but are essential for the reader to understand what really "makes the characters tick." They also help to make a reader give a rip about whether the hero/ine lives or dies. It stands for "Character Development Chapter."  
_--To Space Cat-san, on falling for gay guys_ Oh, wow, so it isn't just me, then? *Nervous giggle* Yeah, I've said that before, too. Hey, it's not _our_ fault that the only perfect guys are homosexuals, married, or live in the magical animé world. *Huggles various bishies* Well, we can always dream...  
_--To Opaaru Tsuki-san, on a lot of stuff_ First off, I promise that I _will_, someday, get back to reading your fanfic. I really did like what I read and wanted to read more - honestly! *Ah-hem* About Kouran: don't hate the playa, sweetie, hate the game. *Thoughtful pause* I'm not sure how that works in this situation... it just seemed appropriate. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Kouran is a victim too, she's being manipulated by the Weaver and - er-hem - Angel, so try to at least pretend to show some sympathy. *Sweatdrop* Oh, and as far as Nakago carrying Soi goes... my answer: he's a sick, kinky bastard. Hehe, do you really need more than that?  
_--To Wingstar-san_ On a totally random note, Roku-senpai is my hero too. So remember all your readers, if you think this is a good story, then you haven't read Roku! Be sure to mosy on over to "roku kyu" and check out all her great FY Fanfics. I recommend "White Stones in the Moonlight" and its trio of spin-off/prequel/sequels. Tell her The Dee sent ya! 

_Question of the Week_ Speaking of the question of the week, I was shocked by how many people tried answering my last one. *Laughs* I never thought I'd actually get solutions to these useless things... Anyway, the question!  
What exactly _is_ Chichiri's mask made out of? In the TV show, it folds and flops and seems to be cloth; but in Eikou Den, it _shatters_ like glass or ceramic! So what is it?

**Verse Preview?** The shiznit hits the fizan. Need I say more?

Probably a Little Too Chatty Today,  
Dee ~_^ 


	15. Verse Thirteen: Crimson Scar

-FREE WEB SITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

**::$6.95 HOSTING - 1 GIG, 1000 EMAILS, 50 GIG TRANSFER, CGI::  
CLICK HERE **  


**_

Verse Thirteen: Crimson Scar

_**

_"Burning with blue flames are my memories.   
The needle-like rain slashes through them.   
Someone's scream, and someone's dream…  
…take their final breath on the wet pavement."  
~Weiss Kreuz; "It's Too Late"~_

An icy calm seemed to encase itself around Houjun over the next week, a thin layer of steadyness and surety that he could not remember ever feeling before. It was the kind of unquestionable calm that the suicidal have as they prepare their deaths, or perhaps the confidence of one who has made a life-saving choice and plans to see it through. He now had a purpose, a goal, even, and that thought alone helped him survive with surprising ease: his flashbacks lessened, his nightmares tapered off, and his headaches were so infrequent that his parents were convinced they had disappeared altogether. Even his grades, which had been plummeting at an alarming rate, quickly rose back to their usual string of top marks. 

Houjun's life had, to all outer appearances, righted itself once again. Only the young man himself was aware of the inevitable test; only he was frightened of what was to come, and yet unmoving in the fact that it must come. Only Houjun watched the approaching storm clouds that dreary weekday evening, swallowing his fear and accepting the events that would occur later that night.

Only Houjun, that is, and Kouran, who was not fooled by her beloved's convincing yet obviously false stability and cheerfulness. She and Hikou had kept a close watch on their friend that week, and, though Hikou seemed oblivious to Houjun's occasional nervousness and jittery excitement, Kouran hadn't missed a detail. As she said her good-byes to Houjun that afternoon, watching as his eyes shot towards the forming stormclouds almost hopefully, she smiled and grabbed ahold of Hikou's arm. "Oh, Hikou, would you mind sticking around for a minute? I was wondering if you could help me fix something inside - Otoo-san's making a housecall, and I'm not very good at that sort of thing."

The young man did not miss his female partner's look. He nodded hurriedly. "Sure, Kouran," he said cheerfully, putting his hands behind his head and waving a good-bye to Houjun. "I'll see what I can do. Talk to you later, 'Jun."

"Hai," he said distractedly, too bothered with his own thoughts to notice Kouran's tension and Hikou's curiously raised eyebrow. "Jaa ne, you two!"

Kouran pulled Hikou roughly into her house, closing the front door quickly behind him. The young man glanced around the darkened hall, a small, teasing smile playing on his lips. "A secret club meeting on such short notice? Sure hope your parents don't show up right at the part about this being a false world."

"They won't," she snapped impatiently. "You know as well as I do that if I don't want them to be in the house, then my memories will make sure they aren't _in_ the house." The young woman leaned back against the wall of the hallway, glancing out the window to where Houjun had disappeared. "Anyway, I'm worried about Houjun. He's been acting... funny, all this week. Like something's bothering him. I'm not sure what, but I don't like it."

Hikou frowned. "I haven't really noticed anything, to be honest, but you always picked up on that stuff better than I did. What's the problem? You think he's figuring things out?" the young man was surprised at the hopeful note in his own voice.

Kouran did not mirror his feelings. "Gods, I hope not," she said quietly. Her eyes turned towards the storm clouds above; she frowned worriedly. "But maybe he's _trying _to figure things out. Either way, it's not good. Not good at all... Hikou," she said suddenly, turning his way once again. "Tonight's your night keep an eye on him, isn't it?" He nodded. "All right, good, good. I want you to watch him as closely as you can - all through the night, all through the coming storm. So don't go dozing off or anything, okay?"

The young man flashed a weak smile. "Sleep? C'mon, Kouran, you know as well as I do the dead don't need sleep - we just do it out of boredom. But why tonight? What do you think's going to happen?"

She folded her arms across her abdomen nervously, squeezing herself to still the shudder that had suddenly crept up her spine. "I'm not sure. It's just this feeling I'm getting, this warning in my mind... this ache in my heart."

***

Houjun smiled and joked impatiently through dinner that evening, pretended to stay up and study for the mid-year exams, feigned exhaustion as he blew out the candle in his room. He sat in his bed that evening, watching as the drizzle outside his window turned to rain, the rain to a downpour, and the downpour finally to a full-fledged thunderstorm. It was time.

The young man waited until nearly midnight, right when the storm was at its violent peak, before slipping quietly out his bedroom window. He tightened the sash on his thin robe a little, then straightened his shoulders and made a beeline for the Shouryuu River. He had purposely waited for a night like this. Rain - raging storms, especially - always heightened his sense of unrest, always made his headaches more violent, his nightmares more fearsome. If he was going to learn anything, it would be on a night like this.

Houjun put his back against a tall tree, pausing a moment to get his bearings. He could hear the rush of the river, swelled from the recent storms, rumbling along just beyond the next hill. He took a deep, even breath, gathering his courage along with the air, and headed up the last slope. Shouryuu River loomed into sight as he topped the bluff. It roared below him, the calm fishing spots turned into violent rapids. The young man hesitated once again, reluctant to get too close to the fast-moving current. If he stumbled, and somehow fell in...

"No," he said quietly to himself. "This is where Hikou and I were fighting, in that one vision. Hatsuko-san found me on the edge of this river. If I'm going to find out the whole story, then I _have_ to go to the place where it happened. No other choice."

Houjun walked slowly down the bank, slipping once or twice on the muddy slope before coming to a halt on the edge of the river. He looked down at the water and closed his eyes, waiting almost expectantly for the headache, or the flashback, or perhaps both. After a moment, he opened them again, frowning somewhat impatiently. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" he demanded of the water and his own mind. "You wanted to get this all out in the open, didn't you? Well, come on, here I am, so fire away! I didn't come all the way out here just to get soaked: I wanted some answers."

Lightning cast a jagged flash of light over the riverbank. For a long moment, Houjun heard nothing but the steady thrum of the rain as it pounded his thin form and the surrounding countryside. He sighed heavily, muttering a curse under his breath. What a complete waste of his-

And then it struck. Images came as requested to Houjun's mind and eyes, throwing him roughly into the world he had been avoiding for so long; and the world that he soon wished he had continued to avoid...

_Rain pounded off of Houjun's back and shoulders as he stormed roughly through the forest that surrounded Kyokujitsu, but he barely noticed the droplets that soaked his clothing and body. His hands, balled into fists, swung resolutely at his sides while his feet took him on a direct course for the Shouryuu River. That bastard's employer had said he had gone this way after work. Houjun would make sure to catch him before he got far. _

_The young man spotted his former friend near the riverbank, glancing down fearfully at the raging waters and shooting nervous glances to the sides every once in a while. He was trying to cross, Houjun realized with a blaze of fury. That damned coward was trying to run away. Like hell he would!_

_"Hikou!" he snapped over the gales of wind. "Hikou, you bastard!"_

_The other man whirled around, stumbling on the bank but managing to keep his balance. He took a couple of steps forward, peering through the downpour at the murky figure... then, realizing who it was, jumped back again. "Hou-Houjun! What-?"_

_"Trying to run off, were you?" he said coldly, advancing on his childhood companion. "Maybe you told her__ to wait on the other side for you, so you could escape? Isn't that right, you cowardly, stab-in-the-back bastard!?"_

_Hikou's eyes widened in alarm. "You - how could you? - who told you-?"_

_"This morning," he said quietly, just loud enough so that the other man could hear him. "My fiancee told me an interesting bit of news. She said that the engagement was off, because she was in love with somebody else." He had been gradually walking towards Hikou, until they were just five feet or so apart. Houjun smiled bitterly, sarcastically, one hand touching the knife that hung at his belt. "Now, I wonder who that could possibly be!? Care to tell me, you lying sonofabitch!?"_

_"Houjun, I-"_

_But his friend was far past reasoning. He took an angry step forward, fists clenched at his sides. "I trusted you, damn it! I trusted both of you! I never thought... I never guessed... and then, yesterday, I find the two of you off in the woods, in each other's arms, like a pair of..." he bit off the ending, unable to finish. "And today__, when she told me... when she said... You betrayed me! Both of you, both of you betrayed me! How could you do that!? Hikou! Answer me, you bastard!"_

_Hikou opened his mouth, on the verge of stammering a desperate apology, but at the last second his jaws snapped shut. His eyes narrowed angrily, and when he finally spoke the words on his lips were ones of hatred, not repentance. "Well, why shouldn't she love me!?" he demanded defiantly. "Why shouldn't I have Kouran!? You've always gotten everything, everything you ever wanted, while I've had to bust my ass my entire life just to survive! I have every reason to have Kouran, every reason for her to love me! A spoiled prick like you doesn't even deserve a woman like her!"_

_Houjun's hand tightened on the hilt of his knife. "You-!"_

_The other man sneered at his former friend, fists tightened, ready to attack if necessary. "So, you saw the kiss, did you? That was something else, wasn't it? She said you never kissed her like that." He gave a vicious bark of laughter, lying through his teeth as he went. "Hah, it's too bad you ran off during the kiss, or you would've seen what came after__ that! I showed that woman things you never could've shown her, showed her what a real man was like! She'd never__ go back to such a pathetic shit, not after she had a taste of me!"_

_Cold fury welled up inside of Houjun's chest as his eyes clouded over with rage. "Teeme...!" Lightning ripped across the clearing. At the same time, Houjun drew the knife from his sash, lunging the weapon at his former friend's chest in a surge of anger and hurt. The young man slashed at Hikou with the sharpened blade, ripping a gap in the other man's shirt. Crimson blood stained the torn cloth, bringing the dark-haired man sharply back to his senses._

_Hikou took a step back, foot dangerously close to the edge of the bank. He grappled frantically with his childhood companion's wrist, managing to get a grip on the wet flesh but unable to stop the seeking blade from striking a small cut across his face. The man's eyes widened once more, suddenly aware, oh so aware, of what he had just done. "Houjun-!"_

_"Did you think this was some kind of GAME!?" Houjun roared in the other man's face. The blade pressed closer; Hikou took another trembling step back. "This isn't a fucking joke, you bastard! Give her back to me! Do you hear me!? GIVE - HER - BACK!"_

Hikou, as Kouran had ordered, had been keeping an eye on Houjun that evening. He had watched him slip out of his bedroom window and, with growing surprise and dread, trailed him to the Shouryuu River. Now, without knowing what else to do, the young man watched as his friend battled with invisible demons on the bank of the river, trembling with mixed anger and sorrow at something Hikou could not see. He didn't have to see, though, to know perfectly well what was going on.

 "Hikou... Hikou, how could you...!?"

_"Hou... jun..." Hikou gasped out, still gripping his companion's surprisingly strong arm and trying to get a better grip on the bank. He knew he had to be on the edge now, practically in the water... if Houjun advanced any further... "Houjun... please..."_

_His friend didn't seem to hear him. It was hard to tell whether the water on his cheeks was rain or tears of rage as he pressed forward, the plunging blade searching, always searching... demanding answers, reasons, something to dull his pain..._

_Neither young man heard the bank crumble beneath Hikou's foot; neither saw it give way, sensed it breaking under their combined weight. Neither knew what had happened until it was almost too late._

_Hikou pressed his right foot down and realized there was nothing to stand on. With a choked gasp of surprise and fear he slipped down the steep riverbank, grappling helplessly at the rocks and dirt that flew away under his fingertips._

_Houjun's eyes widened as he saw what was happening. His knife fell into the river, forgotten immediately as he dove forward and grabbed his childhood friend's wrist firmly in his hand. His anger and hurt evaporated in an instant, replaced by a growing sense of panic and dread. Oh, gods, what had he almost done!? "Hikou...!"_

_The current tugged hard at the young man, threatening to rip him away from his friend at any second. "Houjun..." he rasped, inhaling riverwater as he did. His frightened eyes bled panic and betrayal. "Help..."_

_"It's okay, it's okay, Hikou... Hikou, I'll pull you up, I'll, I'll just..."_

_Their wide eyes met for a moment, holding nothing but remorse and terror at what had happened, at what had almost happened. Houjun smiled just slightly, a flicker of his usual "daijoubu" grin, as if to say they could work this out later, somehow. He tightened his grip on his companion's wrist and braced himself against the bank, ready to pull his friend to safety..._

_And then the world ripped apart._

Houjun's left eye split open, torn from eyebrow to nose by an invisible force. The young man let out a screech of pain as blood ran down the side of his face. He stumbled towards the riverbank as if hit from behind, reeling drunkenly as he went. 

Hikou jumped out of his hiding place as he saw his friend near the flooded river. Houjun collapsed on the bank, his hands at the very edge of the cliff, but he was unaware of his current danger. His heart, thoughts and concerns were all focused inwards, on the same raging river of another night, of another reality... and on the man who was now floundering helplessly in the violent current...

_Something slammed into the side of Houjun's head, ripping his face open and knocking him a few feet down the riverbank. Rolling waves of pain cascaded down the young man's face almost as quickly as the crimson sheet of blood did; his hand loosened its hold just slightly, forgetting its purpose for a split second..._

_...A split second that the river took to sweep the other young man downstream, one last call on his surprised lips: "Houju-!"_

_Houjun jerked his head up, pain forgotten as he watched his best friend, his childhood playmate, taken under by the fast-moving current. "Hikou!" he screamed desperately, putting one hand against his wound to keep the blood out of his working eye. He scanned the water, hoping his friend would resurface, hoping he would still have a chance to save him. "Hikou! Hikou!"_

_The young man scrambled along the bank, leaning down over the very edge and watching the rampaging waves as carefully as he could. "HIKOOOOOU!?"_

_The bank beneath him gave way; with a shout of alarm, Houjun found himself in the river. He closed his eyes - eye, really - preparing for the cold rush of water around his body..._

_But it never came._

_Houjun looked up, blinking in surprise and disbelief. A red barrier surrounded him entirely, encasing him in a layer of protective magic. He happened to glance down, eye widening further at the glowing symbol that had appeared on his knee. "N-nani...?"_

_The young man did not question it; he did not have the time or energy to question it. He turned his attention back to the river, barely noticing that the red shield carried him to the safety of the bank and disappeared once he was back on land. He was too busy searching the waters, searching with his eye and heart for a sign of his friend... for a hint of his life force..._

_But still, there was nothing. Always and forever, there would be nothing._

_Houjun collapsed on the bank, sobbing helplessly into his arms. "Hikou... Hikou... Why... Why did you... why couldn't I..." he glanced up again, barely noticing the blood that poured unchecked from the throbbing wound on his head. He closed his single eye painfully, tears spilling forth as he screamed the name of his best friend, of his dead friend, one last time to the torrents of rain._

"HIKOU!" Houjun cried miserably, grappling at unseen objects. He leaned out farther over the bank, seconds from tumbling into the speeding current...

An all-too-familiar scene played its way through Hikou's mind at the sight of his friend teetering on the edge of the riverbank. The young man raced out from his hiding place, grabbing Houjun by the back of his robes and pulling him to safety. He gripped him tightly from behind, dragging his unresponsive legs backwards, out of harm's way. "It's okay, it's okay, Houjun, I've got you. I've got you," he babbled nervously, not sure Houjun could hear him but unable to stop his frightened speech. As the dark-haired man released his friend, the young man sunk to the ground in defeat, still brokenly sobbing the name of his childhood companion. 

"Houjun..." Hikou put a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, jerking back in surprise as he realized it was covered in fresh blood. "What the...?" he quickly turned Houjun towards him, eyes widening at the sight of the jagged gash that raced across the left side of his face. "Oh. No. Oh, no."

The young man did not seem to hear his friend. Hands on the wet earth and head down, his single eye continued to view the terrible flood, the horrible happenings of that sinful night. Blood dripped wetly from his injury, mingling with tears and rainwater and falling as one to the drenched ground. "Hikou..." he gasped, shuddering against the pain and sorrow. "It's all my fault... if only I'd..."

For one of the first times in his life, Hikou felt tears well up in his dark eyes. How had Houjun lived, how had he kept surviving, after this? How had he been able to still love Hikou after this evil night? After all this pain, all this anger and frustration and sorrow... And how had he, Hikou, been able to hate Houjun so fiercely? How could he have done such a thing, when no one, _no one_, had suffered worse from these sins than his best friend, than the one who survived...

Overwhelmed by guilt and remorse - at past mistakes, at previous mistakes - Hikou grabbed his friend in a tight hug, pulling Houjun's weeping head against his chest. He leaned his own head atop Houjun's drenched hair, gripping the other young man as if he were afraid to let him go. Houjun's thin body was still wracked with heart-wrenching sobs as he clutched Hikou's shirt in his grasping fingers, hanging on to the only thing that could hope to bring him back to reality.

Hikou turned his eyes upwards, watching as the Shouryuu River continued its deadly dance through the forest and out of sight. He sighed heavily, dark orbs full of doubt and riddled with guilt. 

"Oh, gods, Houjun," he said quietly, digging his fingers into his companion's shirt. "What have we done to you?"

***

Ri Yukari was awakened roughly from a pleasant dream by the sound of someone pounding on the front door. She sat up in bed in surprise, glancing around the darkened room and blinking her maroon eyes sleepily. "What the...?" The frantic knocking persisted, now rising in volume. "Who in the world would be here at _this_ hour?"

She nudged her husband, who was snoring quietly beside her, somewhat urgently. "Shinsei, wake up. Shinsei, come on! Someone's at the door."

"Huh, wha?" the head of the household jerked awake with a start, looking up at his wife with blank eyes. "Oh, c'mon, I'll fix the stupid table in the morning..."

"This isn't about that!" she snapped impatiently. Shinsei muttered something unintelligible, rolling over so his back was to Yukari. She sighed, putting a hand to her forehead in defeat. "You're hopeless. No wonder Houjun never gets up in time for school..."

A timid knock sounded on their bedroom door, followed by the voice of their second-oldest. "Otoo-san? Okaa-san?" Mitsuru said quietly through the wood. "Someone's at the door. Want me to let 'em in?"

Shinsei sat up, rubbing at one eye with a fist. "Huh? Someone's at the door? Now?" he glanced over at his wife. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

All the man received was a tired eyeroll. Yukari stood, pulling her nightrobe about her thin shoulders and calling back to her son. "No, that's all right, we'll be there in a moment." She shot a somewhat impatient look at her husband. "Come on then, before whoever it is gets tired of knocking and leaves."

Shinsei reluctantly stood as well, tugging at his sash and brushing his unruly blue hair out of his eyes. "This'd better be important... Time used to be a person could get a decent sleep without people pounding their front doors down in the middle of the night..."

Mitsuru sniggered at his father's side. "You mean, back in the stone age when you was a kid, Otoo-san?" He was cuffed lightly across the head for his remarks. "Ouch! That really hurt!"

"That'll teach you to mouth off to a tired, prehistoric man, Mitsu-chan!"

"Awww Otoo-san, you know I don't like bein' called that anymore!"

"I'll call you whatever you deserve, and right now you're being cheeky enough to deserve Mitsu-chan, Mitsu-chan!"

"'Too-saaaaaan..."

Yukari chuckled at the pair, putting a hand against the wall to help guide herself through the darkened hallway. She heard a loud cracking noise, followed by a muffled swear from her son; she smiled a little, pausing long enough to shout back over her shoulder. "Goodness, I hope your knee didn't damage that table too much, Mitsuru. Take care to watch where you're going, or light a candle next time." He grumbled something that she couldn't hear, which was probably for the best.

Shinsei put his hand on the doorknob, wincing as the stranger continued to bang away on the other side. "We're here, we're here, so would you please..." he swung open the door and never finished his sentence. The older man's mouth dropped; he blinked several times, trying unsuccessfully to form coherent words. "Wha... Hi... wha...?"

Yukari poked her head over her husband's shoulder, curious to see what he was so taken aback over. The sight made her gasp in alarm. Hikou stood in the doorway, drenched from head to foot, with the unconscious form of their oldest son in his arms. Blood stained both young men's shirts, though it was most prominently found around Houjun's collar and face... Yukari's hand flew to her mouth as she realized that the crimson liquid was oozing wetly from her son's eye, heedless to the wad of cloth that Hikou had used in an attempt to slow the flow. "Oh! Oh... Houjun... my baby... no..."

Mitsuru's adolescent head came next, mahogany eyes jerking open at the two soaking figures. He was the only one who managed to cry out a full sentence, snapping the others out of their shock as he did. "Holy shit, what the hell happened to _him_!?"

Hikou glanced at the three family members, visibly relaxing as he did. Finally, someone to help. Thank the gods. He met Shinsei's eyes pleadingly, the fear easily read in his dark orbs. "I can't stop the bleeding. Get Doctor Suzunami. Please. I'll explain everything then."

The head of the house nodded. "Mitsuru, go."

"Eh?" the boy wrinkled his nose in protest. "But it's pouring rain, and-"

"_Now!_" the older man snapped. Mitsuru knew not to disobey that tone; he was out the door and down the street in seconds. Shinsei shot a fearful glance at his son again, then stepped back in the doorway. Houjun's father, as collected as always, delivered his orders with quick precision and total calm. "Come in. Let's get him back to his room. Yukari, get some towels from the kitchen - we're going to need a lot. Hikou, start talking."

The young man nodded sharply, stepping out of the rain and into the Ri home. He glanced down, noticing that he was creating a small puddle on their polished floor, but neither parent seemed to care. Hikou followed Shinsei down the hallway to Houjun's room, gasping out his false story as he went. "It's all my fault," he said immediately, feeling he needed to acknowledge that now, above everything else. "I told Houjun to meet me at _Kampai - y'know, that bar in the market? - because he's been so tense recently and, you know, I just figured... I didn't think there'd be any harm in a few drinks, and all, just between friends to loosen him up a little, and... ano..."_

Shinsei shot a small, reassuring smile at the young man, helping him as he eased Houjun's limp form onto his bed. "It's all right, Hikou, I used to do the same thing." He accepted a couple of the thin cloths Yukari handed him, mopping at some of the blood and water on his son's face while Yukari tried to staunch the bleeding a bit. He glanced up at Hikou again, smile replaced by a confused frown. "But how in the world did all this...?"

The dark-haired man nodded again, glancing towards Houjun's open window and gathering his lies together. "Oh, right... well, the two of us were, uh, screwing around a little bit, getting ready to head home... we were already soaked anyway, so we figured we'd take the scenic route back to our houses, through that shortcut in the forest, and all... neither of us was drunk or anything, don't think that, we just weren't looking where we were going, and it was wet, and there was this..." he swallowed, fiddling with his hands nervously behind his back. How was it that he could be such a good salesman and such a terrible liar? "There was this log, uh, right next to the path... we were talking, teasing each other, not paying attention, and Houjun slipped... Houjun slipped and, and one of the branches that was sticking out, he came down hard on it, and the next thing I knew he's yelling in pain, and there's blood all over the place... Didn't know what to do, I tried to get the bleeding to stop but it just got worse... he passed out a little while ago, probably from the pain and cold... figured I'd get him back here, didn't know what else _to_ do, sir..."

"Calm down, Hikou," Shinsei said quietly. "You did the right thing, bringing him home. Doctor Suzunami will take care of everything else. Houjun will be fine, so why don't you go on and head home now, your family must be worried..."

Hikou chuckled a little. "Nah, Nee-san's used to me being out of the house at all hours." He shot a worried glance at his best friend, biting his lip. "If it's all the same to you, Yukari-san, Shinsei-san, would it be all right if I stayed here? With Houjun? I don't want... I'd like to be here when he wakes up, if that's okay."

Yukari watched the young man pacing the room, clearly terrified for his companion. She smiled gently, nodding in agreement. "Go ahead. Maybe it would be best for him, when he wakes up, to have you here with him..." she looked down again, frowning at the jagged gash across Houjun's face. She didn't like the look of the cut - it was a deep wound, and deepest where his left orb would have been. Yukari knew enough about injuries to know her son would probably lose his eye. "Yes. I think that, after a night like this, nothing could be better for Houjun than having a friend nearby."

"Make that two friends."

All eyes jerked towards the doorway, widening in surprise as they found a drenched Kouran standing in the hall. She gripped a thick black bag to her chest as her chocolate-brown eyes scanned the room quickly, falling almost immediately on Houjun's still form. She dropped the bag in her haste and dashed to his bedside, grabbing his forearm and staring with horror at the blood-drenched cloth over his eye. "Oh, gods, when Mitsuru said... I didn't really believe... but... oh, Houjun...!"

"Ojou-san [Daughter], what'd I tell you about that bag? I only let you come along because Shindou-kun's out of town..." Suzunami Yasunori, Kouran's father and the village healer, entered the room in a flurry of blue robes and greying hair. He picked the black bag up from the ground, dusting it off hurriedly. "If you're not going to help, then I'll send you right back home. There are some breakables in here, you know..."

"Doctor Suzunami," Yukari breathed in relief. "Thank you for coming so fast. Houjun's seriously injured, we can't get the bleeding to stop, and-"

He smiled at his friends, bobbing a quick bow to the pair. "Mitsuru-kun told me a little on the way over. Let me through, I'll take care of everything." He glanced over his shoulder, forcing a weak smile. "Hikou-kun and Kouran can help me if I need anything. The two of you are going to have your hands full in a few seconds."

"What do you mean by-?"

"Doctor Suzunami's here!" Mitsuru yelled needlessly, entering the room with his little sister in tow. He scowled at the younger girl, then turned pleadingly to his father. "Make her go back to bed, Otoo-san. I accidently woke her up when I came in and now she won't leave me alone."

Kyoui blinked in surprise, turning her wide eyes on her parents. "What's going on? How come the doctor's here? Is everybody okay? Nii-san said something about Houjun's eye. He's gonna be all right, isn't he? Isn't he, Otoo-san?"

Shinsei ushered the two children out of the room, his wife at his heels. "We'll explain everything in the kitchen, kids. Let's just leave Yasu - er, Doctor Suzunami - to his work."

"But 'Too-san..."

"What about Onii-chan...!?"

Doctor Suzunami sighed, leaning over Houjun and studying the wound. He alternated between normal conversation and medical notes as he kept up a constant stream of chatter, to keep himself focused and Hikou and Kouran from panicking. "Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that my Yumi only gave me on child? Oh, goodness, this is messy, but it isn't nearly as bad as I first thought. Really, I could barely handle one in the house, but three? Houjun ought to be all right as long as I can stop the bleeding quickly - he's lost quite a bit, I'm afraid. And with Shinsei always away, I don't know _how_ they pulled it off. Yes, his life isn't in danger, though he's going to lose that eye, no question about that... Pass me my bag, one of you."

Kouran's hand flew to her mouth as Hikou did as the doctor requested. "Otoo-san... he's, he's going to... his eye...?"

Yasunori, always practical, nodded as he rummaged around for his supplies. "Oh yes, it's gone for good... can't imagine what could cause such a strange injury, you'll have to tell me about it later, Hikou-kun..."

The young woman stumbled backwards into a chair near Houjun's bed, blinking in surprise at her father's statement. Houjun was going to lose his eye... the eye that had been causing him so many painful headaches... and Hikou had said that their battle on the river had cost Houjun more than just his village...

"Oh, Suzaku," she whispered quietly, suddenly all too aware of what had happened that evening, of what horrible visions her beloved had seen... of what horrible event he had relived, both literally and figuratively. She covered her face in her hands, taking a deep breath and attempting to steel herself for what was going to come. The storm outside was beginning to taper off, but Kouran knew all too well that the storm Houjun had been battling for so long was only going to get more violent. More violent, and much more painful.

***

_iMud, water, and blood. That was all that was left of his life, all that he was aware of anymore. Mud, water, and blood. _

_Mud, the mud from the riverbank that his best friend had slipped on, that had crumbled below him, that had sent him to his death. Mud from the ground, staining his clothes and skin as he lay on this small road, too weak to move, waiting to die._

_Water, water that had taken his closest companion, that Akura Hatsuko had said had taken his fiancee and her family. Who else had it destroyed? No one knew exactly. And he no longer cared. Water that still dripped feebly from the sky, covering his wet form in another blanket of chill, making him shiver helplessly as the cold seeped into his bones, feeding the fever that was already beginning to rage within him. _

_And blood. Hikou's blood. Kouran's blood. Perhaps even his family's blood. And his own, oozing stubbornly out of his eye, refusing to stop until there was nothing left to come out. Until he was as dead as his friend, as his beloved, as many other villagers. That was how it would end. There was no other answer, not when he was this weak, when he couldn't even support his own weight. Not when he had no desire to continue living. _

_The incident from the night before - oh, gods, had it only been half a day? It felt like a lifetime - played itself out again and again in his fever-ravaged brain, forcing him to watch the painful scene until it was forever engraved in his tormented mind. Hikou's hand, slipping from his own... his head going under the water, staying under for so long... for too long... until..._

_"Hikou..." he whimpered, half-closed eye staring forward into nothing. The hand that cushioned his head gripped the ground weakly, but his eye remained dry. He had run out of tears to shed. He had nothing left to give for his sins, nothing left to sacrifice in penance but his life. It looked as if this evening would take that, too._

_"Oh, Houjun-san, I'm so sorry," a female voice said above him. Akura Hatsuko, he acknowledged. Kouran's aunt, who had found him on the riverbank. Who had urged him this far, trying to get him to the survivor's camp, until he had finally collapsed, physically and mentally unable to continue. She had left his side briefly, explaining that she would go to the village to find someone to help her. She must have come back. How long had she been back? Ah, what did it matter? He was too far gone to be helped, now._

_"The others are too... preoccupied with their dead," she said gently, though somewhat bitterly, "to bother helping the living. No one's going to come for you, Houjun-san, and I cannot carry you by myself." She touched his damp shoulder lightly, urging him to continue. "Please, try to get up, Houjun-san. It's not far, maybe a five minute walk at best. If you make it, perhaps we could save you, but if you stay here..."_

_Houjun didn't answer. He had not directly spoken to anyone since the flood. He reached out one hand and grabbed Hatsuko's wrist lightly... or, or was it Hikou's wrist? a part of him wondered hopefully. No, no, just his mind playing tricks on him. He closed his eye halfway, heaving a deep, shuddering breath and squeezed her smooth skin lightly in his hand, trying to find some kind of peace in the gesture. But he did not rise. He barely had enough strength, enough desire, to even breathe._

_"Houjun-san..." Hatsuko pleaded. "Please, I've already lost my husband, brother and niece. I don't want to see another life ended because of this terrible flood..."_

_She continued to beg him for his assistance, but Houjun was no longer listening. He turned his thoughts inwards, away from the battered street, the weeping skies, even the desperate woman above him. Tried to turn his mind to happier times, wishing he could die with the sight of Hikou's mischievous smirk instead of his terrified eyes on his mind; wishing he could think about Kouran's loving smile instead of her heart-wrenching tears._

_...Hikou..._

_...Kouran..._

_...Why did you do it...?_

_...Why...?_

_A new voice interrupted his thoughts, one he had never heard before. "Oi, Oba-san, you all right?" the man asked in a thick mountain accent. "Somethin' we can do for ya?"_

_Hatsuko glanced up, drawing her hand away from Houjun's shoulder as she did. "Oh, thank goodness! You two must be a gift from the gods!"_

_Another voice chuckled slightly. "I doubt that, but we'll see." There was a pause, then a whistle. "Suzaku. What happened t'this guy? He yer son or somethin'?"_

_The older woman lied easily, knowing they were more likely to help her if they believed the two of them related. "Iie, my nephew." Which would have been true, Houjun thought numbly, had his engagement become a reality... had the whole thing not been such a sick delusion... oh, Kouran...! "He's too weak to walk to the nearby camp, and I cannot carry him myself," Hatsuko sniffled. "Tasukete kudasai [Please help me]. This flood has taken so much already..."_

_"Sure, Oba-san, no problem," one man said gently. "Look, we'll carry him there, okay? You go back t'the camp an' set up a bed'r somethin' for him. Oi, Kazuki, you grab his other side. We'll heave him up on th' count-a three - if you c'n hear me, kid, help us get ya t'yer feet..."_

_Without knowing why, Houjun did as the man asked. He stood, swaying slightly on his tired legs, as the pair looped his unresponsive arms about their shoulders. They began to walk forward; Houjun automatically stepped with them, only vaguely wondering why he was trying to move towards safety when all he wanted was death. His vision clouded over as his fever worsened; he dropped his head, forgetting about the world around him and letting a fog of despair descend upon him._

_They walked like that for an indiscernable amount of time. His eye still bled weakly, but he barely noticed the lances of fire that raced through his face anymore. Pain was something he had become very familiar with over the past two days; he thought that there was no way anything could hurt him, now. Not after that kiss. That betrayal. That flood. Nothing could hurt like that. Not even death._

... Then die, so the rest of the pain can end as well... _a part of him demanded. Yet another part of him kept moving forward. Somewhere in his withered soul, he still wanted to survive. Even after his living nightmare, he was not ready to die. Not now. Not yet. Not when his family might still live..._

_One of the men said something. Houjun didn't hear his words. It took the young man a moment to realize they had stopped walking, that the pair of strangers had released him and that he was standing shakily on his own two feet. Someone stood before him, though he did not glance up to see the newcomer's face. What did it matter? Nothing mattered anymore. Hikou was dead._

_"I'm sorry," the young man in front of him said in a calm, deep voice full of compassion and understanding, "but I won't be able to heal the wounds on your heart."_

_Heal? He must be a doctor, then, some part of his mind registered numbly. It made no difference who he was. He was beyond hope. His eye reflected his spirit: ravaged with infection and covered in grime. No one could save something that desecrated. Perhaps a talented doctor could preserve his life. But none of them could stop the disease that ate away at his soul._

_The tall man reached up, placing his left hand across Houjun's bloodied visage. Without knowing why, he immediately relaxed at the gentle touch. Instinctively, he knew to trust his life to this person, this stranger that felt oddly familiar. For just a moment, the young man forgot his sorrows, allowed himself to be comforted by the friendly touch..._

_Houjun continued to keep his eye on the muddy ground as he felt a tickling sensation cover the left side of his face. It was a pleasant sort of itch, as if his ripped skin was being pulled back together, restored to normality. He realized that the blood that had been dripping from his gash had stopped flowing; realized with growing surprise that the wound felt as if it had been sealed..._

_The warmth spread from the surface of his face, going deeper, searching for the source of the wound. It encountered his damaged eye, the destroyed nerves, the center of his pain, and set to work to right these wrongs, as well. The strange, tingling feeling grew in volume, began to fix injuries that couldn't possibly be fixed now..._

_No! Houjun thought suddenly. He wouldn't let it go back to the way it was. He wouldn't let this unusual doctor wipe away the result of that sinful night. His heart would forever carry the grief; it was only right that his eye should mirror the jagged scar that ripped across his soul. This would be his reminder, he decided bitterly. A reminder to himself and others about his true self, about the true color of his heart. Murderer, it would tell others. Sinner, it would scream at him everytime he saw his reflection._

_He would not forget this nightmare. He would not let himself forget._

_The young man shoved the doctor's hand roughly away, not meeting his eyes as he shook his head, just slightly. No, he said silently. This is enough. My life is enough. But let the wound stay. Please. I earned it. I deserve it. Let it be._

_The young doctor seemed to understand. He said nothing more to Houjun; just stepped back and allowed the young man to totter weakly by, heading for one of the many tents that dotted the survivor's camp. He would rest, for now. He would live, for now. He owed the kind healer, the youth who had given him a moment's relief from his overwhelming grief, that much._

_Funny_, he thought as he collapsed onto a pallet, aided by the guiding arms of Akura Hatsuko. _I never saw his face... never even learned his name...___

_He shivered heavily against the chill that clung to his clothes and heart, letting himself forget about the understanding doctor and focus on sleep, focus on survival. The young man slipped into a troubled, feverish sleep, dreaming of broken promises and shattered trust. Throughout the night, his hand grasped his thin blankets weakly, as if he were forever trying to catch his best friend's hand, one final time._

Shinsei and Yukari, after assuring Mitsuru that he wouldn't miss anything interesting and promising Kyoui that Houjun was going to be just fine, finally managed to get their two youngest back to bed and asleep. They joined Hikou and Kouran in their son's room - Doctor Suzunami had left quickly, as soon as the young man's life was out of danger - and waited for him to awaken.

It was almost dawn by the time Houjun finally began to stir. Kouran, who had been holding his hand the entire night, and Hikou, who had been pacing the far side of the room restlessly for almost as long, both watched their friend hard, waiting to see what his first reactions would be. They visibly tensed, terrified about Houjun's unknown condition, expecting the worst... but at this point, what _was_ the worst...?

Houjun's eye fluttered open halfway, blinking a few times to accustom itself to the dim candlelight that bathed the room in a soft, warm glow. He found himself staring into the worried faces of his mother, father, and beloved. The young man frowned at the dull ache in his left eye, trying to pull the hazy pieces of his most recent hours together. "What...?"

Yukari's tight face broke into a small smile. Her son was awake. He was going to be all right. "Oh, Houjun, you're okay. Thank goodness. I was so worried..."

The young man heard nervous footsteps nearby; someone else was in the room. He tried to turn his head, to sit up and see who it was, but his father pushed him back to the bed somewhat forcefully, still frowning a bit. "Easy, son. You've lost a lot of blood; you shouldn't try to move right now. Is there anything you need, anything we can get you?"

Houjun winced. The left side of his face was pounding more forcefully, now that he was awake; he brought a hand up to his eye, only to find a thick strip of cloth covering it. A bandage? But why...? 

"What happened?" he finally asked groggily, single eye closing. The headache wasn't quite as bad when he didn't have to look at anything. "Why'm I here? And all of you."

Kouran had still said nothing, knowing that the sight or sound of she or Hikou would probably trigger his memories, would probably force him to remember the nightmare he had viewed, the nightmare he had lived. She did, however, squeeze his hand comfortingly as Yukari sighed. None of them had wanted to bring this up yet. "There was an accident last night. You remember, don't you, Houjun?" his mother asked gently. "When you slipped, and you hit that treebranch..."

_Treebranch...? Yes, careening down a river, unknown to his eyes, because he was focusing on something else..._

"...passed out from the pain and the bleeding, and Hikou, well, he brought you back here..."

_Hikou...? _

_That's right, he had gone out to the river, looking for answers._

_Hikou... _

_Those visions had attacked him, though they were a bit blurry now... like something was blocking him out... but his best friend had fallen into the river, hadn't he? His best friend had slipped into the current, and, and... oh, oh gods!_

_HIKOU!_

"...lost your eye, I'm afraid... oh, but Houjun, it doesn't matter really, as long as you're alive and safe..."

"Hikou..." he muttered quietly, deaf to his mother's words. His heart wrenched as his widened eye glanced about the room, desperately searching out his best friend. It was all a dream... it had to have been a dream... Hikou couldn't have... he _couldn't _have...

Another figure appeared in his limited range of vision. A head of dark blue hair, concerned maroon eyes, thin lips that were now pulled into an uncharacteristic, worried frown. Hikou. Houjun relaxed visibly, if only for a moment. His best friend was still alive, he hadn't fallen into the river, he hadn't drowned at all! That was just a dream, just some stupid dream... 

Kouran let her hand fall from his, breathing a sigh of relief. Thank the gods, he was going to be all right, after all. She allowed a small smile to cross her face, mentally chiding herself for her foolishness. After an injury like that, of course Houjun would be hazy on the details of his visions. Of course he wouldn't remember the vivid emotion. Of course... of course.

Almost as soon as the young woman's hand left that of her beloved's, Houjun's clouded brain cleared with surprising quickness. He stared up into his best friend's face, single eye widening as all the horrible details, all the horrendous visions and pain came screaming back to him, filling his mind with last night's horror all over again...

Hikou had fallen.

Houjun had watched him die.

He had killed him.

The young man's frightened mahogany orb stared blankly ahead, past Hikou, past the walls of his house, and far away into another world, another reality, another memory that could not possibly be his. But it was. All of it, every last evil detail belonged to Houjun. Whether it was the future, the past, or something else altogether... none of that mattered. It was still his own. Rage. Battle. Murder. All his. All his. 

Tears fell silently from his remaining eye, trailing gently down the side of his face to mingle with the dried blood and dirt on his shirt. Mud, water, and blood. Sins, tears, and death. He felt his heart crumble, felt his self-control and will-power collapse deep within himself. He was a murderer. He was scum. He had killed Hikou. Just like before. Always like before.

"Naze da...? Naze da...?" he sobbed quietly, breath coming out in short, terrified gasps. How could it have happened? How could he have let it happen? Why hadn't he been able to save him with the same power that had saved himself? Why had he let go at all? _How could he do it?!_

Hikou had fallen.

And Houjun had killed him.

"_Naze da!?_" he demanded harshly, closing his eye and screaming his anguish out in those two short words. His hands gripped the warm blankets beneath him vehemently, trying to rip answers out of the cloth. After a brief moment, he collapsed back to the bed again, breathing heavily and crying uncontrollably. 

Hikou stumbled shakily away from the bed, dark eyes wide with surprise and fear. That look Houjun had given him, that look full of disbelief, horror, and overwhelming guilt... like his soul had been ripped to shreds, like he had willfully _let_ it be desecrated like that... "My gods," he whispered to himself. "My gods, Houjun, is _that_ what you felt when it was over? Is _that_ what you had to live with for so long...?"

"Hikou," Shinsei said quietly, but surprisingly sharply, "I think it would be best if you went home, now. Your sister must be getting worried. There's nothing you can do for Houjun, now."

The young man read the message behind the politician's silky words. _"Just the sight of you did this to him. Get out."_ They must think he had done something terrible to their son. They weren't far from the truth, he realized painfully. He tried to protest, but knew it would do little good. "But I-"

"Please," Yukari interrupted, turning to send a meaningful glance at him. "Houjun's sick. He needs rest. Please leave."

He nodded hurriedly, feeling something wrench in his heart. Yukari had never looked at him like that before, had never given him that look that all the other parents shot at him. _Street trash, it said. _Son of the village drunk. Stay away from my child. You scum. _Hikou looked down, gritting his teeth to quell his emotions. So, this is what would have happened, had the flood never been. Outcasted from even his best friend's home. He preferred death. "Hai, Yukari-san. I'll... check in on him, later, then."_

Before Hikou could even move to the door, Kouran stood swiftly, her jaw set in a stubborn line as if she were forcing herself to remain calm. "I should go, too, I suppose," she said quietly. "I told Otoo-san I wouldn't stay all night, but it's almost dawn. Hikou... walk me home, please?" The young woman shot a glance down at Houjun, his single eye staring blankly ahead, the tears still leaking their way down his cheek. She should stay with him. He needed her, needed courage and her strength, now that his were so terribly weak. He needed her so much, more than ever before. Kouran gulped heavily. It was so much... just too much. "I don't think I should... be alone, on the way home..."

Yukari opened her mouth to issue a protest, but before she could say a word Houjun's beloved was down the hallway and out the door, as if by running she could escape the sorrow and dread that clung to her heart. Hikou wordlessly followed, stammering a hasty farewell to the Ri parents.

The young man caught up with her quickly; he jogged along beside her until she finally slowed to a walk. Hikou waited expectantly, knowing Kouran would never ask him to accompany her unless she needed to talk. Finally, after gathering all of her strength together, his childhood friend spoke.

"Our touch keeps him anchored to this world," she said, voice icily calm. "As soon as I let go of his hand, he remembered everything about those visions. That's good. At least now we have a more effective way to fight those annoying memories."

"Kouran..."

"Don't," she snapped. "Don't even say it. We're continuing with this. We're going to save Houjun from his other life, from the ongoing torment he had to face in that world. I promised myself that much, and _you _promised to help me." Kouran clenched her trembling fists at her sides, trying to grip all of her emotion into her palms and keep it at bay. "We destroyed his old life. So, let's not destroy this one. All right?"

"Okay," Hikou agreed gently, knowing it was useless to argue with her, now or ever. "Whatever you want, Kouran."

"Whatever I _want_?" the young woman asked, laughing humourlessly in an attempt to keep her voice from breaking. "What I _want_ is to run back into that house and beg Houjun for his forgiveness. What I _want is to hold him in my arms until his sorrows vanish, until he stops staring ahead so blankly, as if he's trapped in a nightmare that he can't wake up from... until he stops crying like he's just seen the end of the world, like his entire soul is shattering into pieces. What I _want_..." Kouran stopped walking, turning her head sharply away from Hikou so he wouldn't see the tears that poured relentlessly down her face. "What I __want, Hikou, is to put together the pieces of Houjun's heart. To give the man I love his happiness back._

"But I can't do that," she whispered, sinking slowly to the ground as she sobbed out her frustrations. "I can't do that, because _I was the one who caused it in the first place. Because I'm such a fool, such a coward... such a useless, stupid slut... that I can't even... I can't even..." Kouran curled her knees up to her chin, burying her head in the folds of her dress and crying like her heart would break. "Gods, Houjun, I can't even... be with you now, when you need me the most... I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."_

The young man felt a lump rise in his throat, as well as an almost insufferable feeling of remorse and pity for his female companion. Despite everything, he still loved her like the friend she had been. Despite everything, the sight of her so hopelessly lost still strung a chord in his heart. "Kouran, I'm the one who should be sorry... not you, _never you..." _

Hikou knelt beside the young woman and pulled her into a comforting, brotherly embrace. Kouran did not pull away, did not want to pull away; she simply leaned her head into his shoulder and wept quietly, praying that the dawn would bring some hope, that the morning, like the tears on her cheeks, could wash away at least part of her pain, at least a part of her fears and worries. 

Praying that, when Houjun needed her again, she would be strong enough to stay by _his_ side until a new day arrived.

*****  
*****

  
_Author's Mundane Ramblings: December 23, 2003; 12:30 AM_

Hao, minna-san!  
I know, I know, this chapter is weeks and weeks overdue, and I can't begin to apologize for such an atrocity. The usual string of excuses, I'll not bore you with the details, I just hope you can forgive me for keeping you in suspense for so long.

**Random Chapter Comments** Wow... that was pretty intense, huh? I warned you that the "shiznit would hit the fizan" - I wasn't far from the truth, was I? One can only wonder what more I could possibly do to poor Houjun-chan. The answer? Well, let's just say my sadistic little mind can still come up with a few things... Oh, and on a totally random note, the bar Hikou mentions, _Kampai_? Yeah, it roughly translates to _Cheers_. That's a terrible joke, and I apologize in advance, but I just couldn't resist.  
Oh yes, I'd also like to thank Roku-senpai, who once again I probably and "accidentally" bounced an idea off of - I had already decided that Houjun would have to be provoked in order to attack Hikou, but it's very likely that the first chapter of "Bridge" influenced exactly _how_ he would be provoked. So, to Roku-senpai: sorry for the idea-bouncing and thank you for your wonderful fanfics!

**Fact Vs. Fanfiction** One detail I figured a lot of people were wondering about was the "dream memory" where Houjun is saved from death by the young doctor, who, as I bet you all figured out, was Mitsukake. So, was this a real event, or did it come flying out of my imagination? Actually, it's fact! In "Oumei Den," the Mitsukake (or "Juan") Gaiden Novel, this particular event really happens. In fact, so finicky am I about accuracy that I asked Tetris no Miko to translate the scene (thanks a lot!) so I would know what I had to work with! Naturally, I expanded it a bit, emotionally and all, but that's the basic story! Still don't believe me? Fine, then you can read the "Oumei Den" scene, _and_ view a beautifully sorrowful picture drawn by Watase Yuu-san of Mitsukake and Houjun's meeting. It's worth seeing - the picture is amazing! The links are under my homepage link, so go check 'em out!

**Answering Reviews** Welcome to the crew, Riverwood-san! I hope you stick around for this fanfic - the updates are a bit spread out, but I certainly hope the story quality makes it worth the wait...  
_--To Fire Pendant-san, on the following questions: "Does Kouran know what will happen if Chichiri stays in that world? What about Tasuki and all his other friends, does she know how much they'll be affected by Chichiri's death?"_ In answer to the first one, yes, she knows. But, as you've probably noticed from her inner monologues, she's under the impression that by keeping Houjun in the dream world and eventually killing him, she's actually _saving_ him. This is because someone *cough*Asatenshi*cough* has convinced her that Houjun's life has become absolutely miserable, and this is the best thing she can do for him. As for the second question, no, because as far as Kouran knows Houjun is alone, friendless, and terribly unhappy. See, Kouran's not bad, she's just misled!  
_--To Weaselgirl-san, on the following question: is Chichiri/Houjun/whatever going to wake up before the flood, ect. or his he going to re-live it? And then will he relive meeting the seishi and then all of them kicking the bucket and then relive meeting Hikaru and then relive being caught in the wierd dream thingie and then... I really don't think you're gonna do that... are you?_ Of course I couldn't do that. That'd be way, way too easy, and you should all know by now that I'm way too stubborn to ever do anything the easy way.

_Question of the Week_ Has the author run out of "FY" questions? (The answer would be "yes" *Sweatdrop*)

You're Belated Author,  
Dee ~_^ 


	16. Verse Fourteen: Reflection

-FREE WEB SITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

**::$6.95 HOSTING - 1 GIG, 1000 EMAILS, 50 GIG TRANSFER, CGI::  
CLICK HERE **  


_**

Verse Fourteen: Reflection

**_

"Though we kissed, though we embraced each other so,  
We couldn't understand each other,  
Right now, I just want to hear one phrase: 'I love you'...  
I want to be touched by those hands."  
~Okui Masami, "Te no Hira no Kakera" (Shards in the Palm of My Hand)~

Hikou looked across the classroom at the empty desk of his best friend and sighed heavily. "_Still no sign of him?" he said, more to himself than the handful of students that sat around his own seat._

"Not one blue hair," Shigure muttered from behind the dark-haired man. The young student frowned, putting his chin in his hands thoughtfully. "It's been almost a week. You'd think he'd be well enough to come back to school... I mean, Ri-kun isn't the kind of person to miss class unless he's _really messed up." He chuckled, nudging Hajimoto Airi. "Oi, remember that one time in grade school when he came to school sick and nearly threw up on Uzumaki-sensei?"_

Airi giggled at the memory. "We were all cheering him on, encouraging him to do it. She was a real terror, Uzumaki was..."

Kouran was not taking part in her classmates' easy-going banter. She hugged herself, interrupting the conversation. "He's not sick. Not anymore, anyway. Otoo-san went over a few days ago, said he's welcome to come back to school at any time." She looked away, eyes reading open concern and worry. "But he doesn't want to. He doesn't want... anything, it seems. Doesn't even want to see me..."

"You mean his parents still aren't letting anyone in to talk to him?" Shigure demanded. He shook his head in disbelief. "I always liked those two, but they're being awfully protective of Ri-kun these days, doncha think?"

"They're just respecting his decision," Hikou said, coming to the family's defense. "When Kouran or I go over, asking to see him, they always go inside to check with him, then come back out to tell us he doesn't want to see us."

Airi shook her head, agreeing with Shigure. "Not want to see his best friend and girlfriend? That's ridiculous. The three of you are practically glued to the hip - of _course he'd want to see you! Especially after such a nasty accident... you said he lost his eye, didn't you?" Hikou nodded. "Poor Ri-kun. He was such a handsome guy, too, to have something like that happen."_

"Hey, maybe that's it!" Shigure exclaimed, slapping the desk as if he had just come across an amazing revelation. "Maybe that's why he won't see anyone, and doesn't want to come to school! He's probably ashamed of it! I mean, you'd be worried about what people would think if you got your face tore up too, wouldn't you?"

Kouran frowned. "That isn't like him, though... he jokes about being attractive, but he isn't vain at all, hardly thinks about that kind of thing... and he knows Hikou and I wouldn't care, none of us would, he's still Houjun after all..." she shook her head, turning her eyes forward as their teacher walked into the room. "He's still _my_ Houjun, no matter what happens," the young woman added quietly to herself, mind far away from her studies.

The day seemed to drag by at an unbearably slow pace for Kouran and Hikou, and once it finally ended they practically flew out the doors, waving quick good-byes to their friends and politely declining invitations to supper. Only once they were a good block from the school did they slow down and begin speaking; and there was an awful lot to talk about.

"Do you want me to try to see him today, or you?" Hikou wondered quietly.

"You," his female companion said, not meeting his troubled eyes. "I've been begging Yukari-san to let me talk to Houjun for almost four straight days - she's probably sick of hearing about it. Maybe you'll have some luck."

The young man snorted. "Yeah, after what happened that night? Fat chance." He gritted his teeth in helpless anger, one hand clenching against his side. "Why won't they _listen to us, Kouran!? Why can't they understand that, even if Houjun says he doesn't want to see us, that doesn't mean he doesn't _need_ to see us!? He's suffering so much, not because of the accident, but because he doesn't have the two of us to help him through it! He needs our strength to survive, just like we need his. That's how it is and that's how it's always been, and if they don't know that by now... I mean, me, I can understand not letting me see him, not after... everything," a shadow passed across his eyes for a moment, but was quickly erased by the look of indignation. "But __you? They've known you since you were a baby, and so has Houjun! They should know damn well that the only person who can reach him right now is-"_

"Let it go, Hikou," Kouran interrupted. "You're right, I know that, and I think Shinsei-san and Yukari-san know that too, but Houjun has decided not to see us. Even if they don't agree with it, his parents are going to respect that choice. Besides," she added quietly, turning her eyes to the leaf-strewn ground, "I ran out on him, right when he most needed me. Who would ever want to see a person like that?"

"Ch! Sometimes you can't respect someone's decision, if that decision is gonna hurt them even more."

"Then tell that to the Ri parents when you see them this afternoon. They're the ones you should be yelling at, not me."

Hikou opened his mouth to snap a reply, but decided against it. He looked away, nodding as he did. "You're right. Sorry to go off like that." The pair walked on in thoughtful silence for a while, until they were standing in front of Kouran's house. The young man leaned against his old friend's fence, saying more to himself than to Kouran: "It must have been so hard for him."

Kouran blinked, surprised to hear the serious tone coming from her companion's mouth. "What? This past week, you mean?"

"Yeah, that, but also... after the flood. The real one, not the one he envisioned last week. It must have been pure torture for Houjun, having to deal with so much loss all at one time. Not just because of the tragedy, that'd be tough for anyone, but because there was no one to help him survive through the pain. Before that, he'd always had us - even when his family or his other friends wouldn't stay by him, he always had us. But suddenly we and everything else were gone, and he didn't have that strength anymore, didn't have our presences there to save him." Hikou looked down, remembering his old, misled hatred for his friend. "Even spiritually, he was alone. He-"

"Yamete [Stop it], Hikou," his female friend snapped, voice breaking against the words. 

He looked at her, surprised to see tears rimming her soft eyes. "Kouran-"

She shook her head, trying to hold back the cascade of water that threatened to fall. She wasn't going to cry in front of him again. The last time she'd done that, the last time she had completely broken down, he had comforted her, and, loathe as she was to admit it she was grateful to him for that. Kouran wasn't going to give Hikou another chance to be kind; it was easier to hate him when he kept his distance. "Don't talk about that!" she said venomously, clutching her books tightly to her chest. "Don't mention the flood, that horrible time... don't talk about it again. Ever."

The young woman whirled on her heel and practically raced to the entrance of her home, not even bothering to say "good-bye" to her companion. Well, he was used to that by now. Kouran opened the front door hurriedly, stepping through the portal and into the comforting surroundings of her modest home. She opened her mouth to announce her arrival to her parents, but stopped short as she heard a pair of familiar voices drifting down the hall from the kitchen.

Kouran strained her ears, picking up snatches of words spoken by her mother. "Is... any better?"

"Physically... but he won't... so quiet..."

The young woman bit her lip, recognizing the second voice with a jolt: It was Ri Yukari, and she was talking about Houjun! Kouran closed the front door silently behind her, then crept down the hall towards the kitchen, careful not to give away her presence with noise. As she neared the entrance to the cooking quarters, the words of the two mothers focused and became sharper, now coming in loud and clear.

"I just don't know what do with him, Yumi," Yukari was saying, a note of anxiety in her tone. "He barely eats, hardly talks... I rarely even see him get out of bed! He won't see or speak to anyone outside of the immediate family, and even then we can hardly get anything out of him. The only person he's at least a little friendly with Kyoui-chan. Bless her heart, sometimes I think she's the only thing keeping him alive these days."

Suzunami Yumi, Kouran's often irritatingly practical mother, spoke up with her usual level of matter-of-fact poise. "If it's that bad, then why don't you just drag him out of bed? Maybe what he really needs is to get back on his feet and socialize a little."

"Oh, that's what Shinsei keeps saying, but it isn't that simple," Yukari argued. "He's a young man now, you know, and we decided early last year that he's old enough to make his own decisions. If he doesn't want to talk, or see anyone, then he shouldn't be forced to do so until he's ready. He knows his own limits better than we do."

"A young man, certainly, but he's still your son," Kouran's mother reminded her. "And really, Yukari, when a person goes through the kind of trauma Houjun had to endure, do you really think they're going to know what's good for them?"

There was a long pause in which the Ri mother let out an exasperated sigh. "You're right," she finally admitted. "I know you're right, just like I knew Shinsei was right when he wanted to let Kouran in to see Houjun yesterday, even though Houjun said he didn't want visitors. But it's so hard, Yumi-chan; it's so hard knowing what's best for him at a time like this. Sometimes-"

"Wait," the Suzunami woman interrupted, a hint of surprise in her normally levelheaded voice. "Houjun's been refusing to see Kouran? My Kouran - _his_ Kouran? I don't believe it."

"You don't have to believe it, but it's true."

"What about Hikou?"

"Not him, either. Anytime one of them comes over, either Shinsei or I will go in to ask him if he wants a visitor. And do you know what he says, Yumi? It's the same thing every time. All he'll say is that he can't face 'them.' Not after 'it.' Then he closes up again and you can't get a word out of him."

"'Them'? 'It'? What's that supposed to mean?" Yumi paused thoughtfully, then asked, "You don't think it's... well, you don't think it's because of the wound, do you? Is he ashamed of it? Yasunori told me it was a nasty scar, but Houjun never seemed the kind of person to care that much about his looks..."

"Shinsei thinks that's it, but I agree with you. It's not really in Houjun's nature to close himself off this much over anything physical." A pause. "Come to think of it, it's not in Houjun's nature to close himself off this much over anything emotional, either. Even when he's struggling, like he was before... 'it' happened, he still tried to fake cheerfulness to keep Shinsei and I from worrying." Yukari's voice lowered to a trembling whisper. "But he won't even do that anymore. It's like he's given up, like he doesn't even care what people think... like he's just sitting in there, wanting to die, _waiting_ to die...!"

"Calm down, Yukari, please," Yumi's firm - though somewhat desperate - tone practically ordered. "Houjun's a strong young man, I believe that much about him, and I'm sure he hasn't stopped caring or wanting to live. Maybe he just needs a, a 'push' towards righting himself. Something, or someone, to help knock him out of his depression."

The Ri mother chuckled humourlessly. "I feel like I'm talking to Shinsei again. Perhaps I'm the only person thinking clearly, or maybe the only one _not thinking clearly."  
"What do you mean?"_

"Oh, Shinsei's got it into his head that Houjun needs to get out of the house at all costs. He happens to be leaving for the Imperial City next week, for a quick visit to the capital before winter. My husband wants to take Houjun with him. He thinks the change of scenery, the bustle of the capital, that it might help him get back on his feet."

"Seems like a good idea. But will Houjun agree to it?"

"I don't know, we haven't spoken to him about it, yet. Though I don't think it'll make much of a difference. Shinsei can be as stubborn as you when he has a mind to be. Not to mention Houjun's been so apathetic, you could probably tell him you were taking him to Jigoku [Hell] and he wouldn't bat an eyelid. You say he's strong, and I believe he is, too, but with the way he's been acting..."

"He _is strong, Yukari-san, but he can't find that strength by sitting in his room all day!"_

Both women looked up, jumping in surprise to find Kouran standing in the doorway, her hands cupped tightly to her chest. Yumi blinked, a disapproving frown on her thin lips. "Ojou-san, how long have you been listening in? That's really very unladylike of you, to spy like that."

The young woman blushed and turned her eyes to the floor in embarrassment, jerking a swift bow of apology in the direction of her elders. "Sumimasen, Okaa-san, Yukari-san, but I couldn't help but listen in. You were talking about Houjun, and these days I never know what's going on with him, whether he's better or worse, whether his eye is healing all right..." she looked up again, not meeting their eyes with her troubled chocolate brown ones. "Whether he needs me or not..."

Yumi's hard orbs softened; Yukari's did the same, hers nearly filling with tears. She recognized the concern in Kouran's voice as the same worry she herself had been feeling since the accident. Houjun's mother smiled gently, patting the remaining chair at the kitchen table. "That's all right, I understand. Why don't you come in and have a seat?"

Kouran nodded, taking a few timid steps across the kitchen and accepting the offered chair. The student set her scrolls down quietly on the table, staring hard at her hands as if searching for some kind of inspiration. She knew it was rude to suddenly begin speaking without being called upon or asked a question, but she _had to talk to Yukari about Houjun - she had to! "Eto..."_

"We were just talking," Yumi remarked somewhat icily, upset at her daughter's unusual, brash behavior, "about how distant Houjun has been with everyone, since the accident. You don't know of any other details from that evening that might explain this, do you, Kouran?"

She shook her head, lying as she went. "No, Okaa-san, I don't know anything past what Hikou told me. I doubt that there was more to it. I've known Hikou for a long time and he isn't the type to lie." Which was true, she reminded herself. Her former friend had always been a terrible liar. The young woman hesitated, then continued, voice getting stronger as she went. "I'm not sure why he's acting the way he is, to be honest. Not completely sure. I do, um... I do have an idea, though."

Yukari sent Kouran a look of exasperations. "We've been over this already..."

"And I know you don't believe me, but Yukari-san you can't think of a better answer, can you?"

"Ojou-san, mind your manners!" her mother snapped from across the table.

"I apologize, Okaa-san, but this is hardly the time for manners," Kouran said calmly, trying to keep her voice from rising again. "Houjun's health is bad, there's no denying that. Nothing has been working so far, am I right, Yukari-san?" A small, reluctant nod. "Then please, why can't we try my solution? You and Shinsei-san are very smart, please don't mistake my words for being rude, and you know your son well enough, but I don't think you understand just how close he, Hikou and I are - how close we've always been. Whenever there was a crisis, a problem, in any of our families, the other two were always there for them, ready to give them their strength and courage so they could survive. It's how we've spent our entire lives. It's how Houjun pulled himself back together, the week before... everything fell apart again.

"I know Houjun keeps saying he doesn't want any visitors, but I truly believe that he desperately _needs me, and Hikou too. He's suffering now, and it goes without saying that even if I was by his side he would still be suffering, but... but not like this. He would have some of my courage to help him find his own, to help him get through this hard time. Deep down, I know you know I'm right, and I think Houjun knows it too._

"The last time he needed me, that night of the accident..." the young woman gulped, swallowing her tears so she could continue speaking. "The last time he needed me, I ran off on him. I was so afraid, of the things that had happened, of his reaction, that I, I just... but I can't do that again, I couldn't stand to do it again. Not when his sanity - when his _life_ - might lay in the balance of my decisions. I'd never forgive myself if I just let him slip away from us all, without even trying to do anything. But I can't try until you grant me permission to see him."

Kouran ducked her head, putting her hands together in a gesture of utter humility and shameless pleading. "He needs me. I know you can see that. So please, Yukari-san, let me at least try help your son. Please."

Yumi glanced back and forth between Yukari and Kouran, too surprised by her reserved daughter's passionate speech to rebuke her for her outspokenness. The Suzunami woman sipped at a glass of tea nervously, trying to hide her curiousity and keep her stare from lingering too long on the silent Ri Yukari.

After a moment that felt like a lifetime, Houjun's mother closed her eyes and smiled a little. "A very long time ago, a girl lost her parents to bandits. She stumbled through her hometown, crying and wishing for death. People from the village came to comfort her, but no matter what they did she could not be helped. And then, as the day turned to night, she stumbled into a ditch... and the hand of a friend caught her, embracing her and pulling her back to her feet, offering her a new home and a second chance." Yukari looked up, smiling gently at Suzunami Yumi. "Perhaps I have forgotten the value of friendship over the years, ne, Yumi-chan?"

"Perhaps we all have, Yuka-chan."

The Ri woman turned her mahogany orbs towards Kouran, that same small smile still gracing her attractive features. "Very well, Kouran, you win. You heard Yumi and I talking about Shinsei's planned trip, didn't you? About how he wants to take Houjun to the Imperial City in a few days?" Kouran nodded; Yukari returned the nod. "Why don't you accompany my son and husband for the week-long venture?"

The young woman's eyes lit up in surprise. "Me? Travel, with Houjun, and Shinsei-san, to... to the capital?" 

"Mm," she agreed quietly. "It is a long trip, secluded from the distractions of home. It seems like a good place for you to give this cure of yours a try." Yukari met and held Kouran's eyes for a long second, and the young woman thought she saw a hint of desperate hope in the depths of the orbs. "Let's see if you can save the son that I could not."

Kouran glanced towards her mother hopefully; Yumi frowned and looked away. "I suppose you had better begin packing," she grumbled into her cup of tea. "And take care to bring your parents back a souvenir or two, you lucky wretch."

"Ah! Okaa-san, Yukari-san, domo arigatou gozaimasu!" Kouran cried, standing from the table so quickly she almost knocked her chair over. She bowed as low as she could, grabbing her school supplies and practically sprinting out of the kitchen. She was going to be allowed to see Houjun. Finally, she would be able to make up for her previous mistakes! She was going to save him! "I, I need to go study, and get my things lined up, and... oh, thank you, thank you so much! I won't let you down, I promise!"

Yukari and Yumi watched as the young woman raced out of sight, both of them chuckling at her enthusiasm. Yumi took a sip of tea, watching her friend carefully. "Bit of a gamble you took there, I'd say. After all, an awful lot can happen between a young man and a young woman, practically alone in an inn." She sniffed, looking upwards. "I wonder what the neighbors will say?"

"You don't think I made the wrong decision, do you?" Yukari asked, twisting her hands in nervous agitation. "I just couldn't think of anything else to do, and Kouran was so passionate about it all, I could tell she really wanted to help Houjun..."

Yumi waved a hand as if to brush away her friend's worries. "Oh, no, no, you made a splendid decision. Yes, in fact, I think this may all turn out for the best." A small, mischievous smile broke out on her stern face, lighting up her brown eyes for a moment. "If I remember correctly, an intoxicated young political student once won a woman's heart in an Imperial Inn, after swearing to give her the stars and the moon if she'd just give him her lifelong devotion and love."

Yukari blushed, glaring with mock severity at her childhood companion. "Oh, Yumi-chan, hush!"

***

"And if you don't take advantage of this trip, you lucky S.O.B., I'm never speaking to you again, you got that?" Hikou said with mock severity as he helped Houjun cram his two small bags onto the cart that would take them to the Imperial City. The young man, finally forgiven for his previous actions, had been allowed to come to the Ri house to see his friends off. He couldn't have been happier, even if Houjun was practically a mute and his family still watched him with moderate suspicion. It was a start, Hikou figured.

"Advantage?" Shinsei asked from nearby, his face smiling but his eyes sending a severe warning in the two young men's direction. "I'm not sure what about this trip Houjun _could take advantage of, Hikou, other than getting out of the house for a few days."_

His smile was the picture of angelic perfection. "Why, that's exactly what I meant, Shinsei-san. If Houjun doesn't come back with at least five funny stories to tell me, I'll never forgive him." The young salesman waited until the Ri father had walked off before slapping his friend on the back and flashing his most devious grin. "With your father up at the capital at all hours of the day, you and Kouran are gonna have that inn practically to yourselves. Now, think about that for a minute, and try not to let your hormones take over while you imagine the possibilities."

Houjun smiled weakly, distantly, at his best friend. Over the past four days Houjun had been practically forced into seeing Hikou and Kouran, and although the company had managed to pull him from his silent world, he still had a long way to go to being his normal, cheerful self. "I think I can contain myself. Remember, Hikou, you're the sex fiend here, not me."

"Me!? It is to laugh! How many times must we go over how pure I am, my forgetful friend?"

"Probably until you stop lying," he shot back, though it was obvious that his heart wasn't in it. They had pulled him from depression; they had not saved him from the apathy and doubt that ate at his soul.

In all honesty, he cared nothing about this trip and seriously doubted that it would do anything for his failing mental health, but had been unwilling to argue with his father. It was such a trivial matter, compared to everything that had happened. It seemed as foolish to demand solitude as it did to pretend everything was fine. So, he chose indifference over both anger and forced happiness and left it at that. Certainly, his family worried, but his family always worried, so what did it matter? What did anything matter, in the end? His life had fallen to shreds a week ago... assuming that this even _was_ his real life, an irrational idea that had been nagging his thoughts for days...

_"Chichiri..." an unknown voice seemed to whisper on the wind. _"Leave this... come back to us..."__

Houjun turned, searching for the speaker, even though he knew they wouldn't be there. It was one of the same two voices he had been hearing off and on for the past week; they were not restricted to only dreams, now. It made him wonder... 

Hikou touched his friend's shoulder, snapping him from his private reverie. "Oi, Houjun, don't look so glum, will you? You're going to _the_ Imperial City, and with the prettiest girl in Kyokujitsu to boot. You oughta be walkin' on air."

The young man opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of his father's voice from the other side of the cart. "Oi! Houjun! Come over here and help an old man load some luggage, will you?"

"Duty calls," he said automatically. "I'll be back."

The youth smoothed his messy bangs nervously across the scarred side of his face, making sure that they covered his deformity as well as they could before walking around the cart to aid his father. His injury had healed with surprising - almost unnatural - quickness, leaving Houjun with a jagged scar across his forever-closed left eye and, for the first time in his life, a feeling of self-consciousness about his appearance. Though no one ever said anything, the young man could tell by the looks in their eyes how much the scar bothered - perhaps even hurt? - those around him. It was easier for others if he just hid it. It was easier for others if he just hid a lot of things.

Hikou frowned behind Houjun's back, not liking the deadened state of his friend. He made his way across the Ri lawn, coming to a halt at the excited Kouran's elbow. At the moment, the young woman was trying without success to drag her heavy bag towards the cart; Hikou decided to give her a hand and voice his concerns at the same time. "Need some help with that, Kou-chan?"

She scowled up at him, but handed over the "suitcase" without argument. "I guess I should say 'thank you.'"

"Why? You haven't in almost twenty-one years," he remarked, hefting the bag over his shoulder with only a small struggle. The young man walked with his companion back to the cart, gently placing her garments atop of the others. Only then did he turn back to his female comrade and, with a deep breath, speak his thoughts. "I need to talk to you, and quick. It's about Houjun."

Kouran hushed him, gesturing for the pair to move farther away from the rest of the family. They slunk off towards the side of the house, Hikou leaning up against it to rest a little. "I know what you're going to say," Kouran told him before he had a chance to begin. "And I've already told you that no, we're not going to give this up. We're going through with it, so why don't you stop wasting your breath on stupid suggestions and start using it on helping Houjun?"

Hikou scowled, irritated at the young woman for one of the first times in his life. "I _am trying to help Houjun with my 'stupid suggestions.' Besides, that isn't what I wanted to talk about." He was quiet for a moment, struggling with his words. "I'm really worried about him, Kouran. More so than I was after... 'it'... happened. It's not just that he's worried about his sanity, or terrified by his visions - I've gotten used to that, almost gotten to expect it. It's more like... well, hell, you've talked to him over the past four days, you know what I mean. It's as if he's completely given up on everything, on caring about or wanting anything. Like his soul is dead and his body's just going through the motions. It's... scary."_

"I know," she said, surprised to be agreeing with the man she despised so much. "Sometimes I think he's not sure what to believe, that he's not sure if this is the right world. You've seen it, haven't you? The way he'll look around out of nowhere, as if searching for a speaker that isn't there? The way that, sometimes, when those visions are plaguing him, he'll almost... almost flicker a little, like he's teetering between here and reality? Like he actually wants to go back to that horrible...!?" Kouran bit her lip in agitation, trying to keep her hands from trembling. "No, no, I won't let that happen. I won't let them take him. This week, this week at the capital, I'll set everything right. I know I can do it, I'm _certain_ I can do it..."

"What if you can't?" Hikou asked her quietly. 

"I will!"

"But what if you can't save him, Kouran? What if he falls further into despair? What if he loses his mind completely, or, or tries to kill himself...? Death in this world is as real as death in his world, and if we lost him like that there wouldn't be any salvation. We might really lose him forever, not to reality, but to his own ravaged mind, or even to Hell..."

"_We won't!" she cried, trying to make herself believe her own words. "I'll save him, I'll protect him, just like I promised from the beginning. No one on any world loves Houjun as much as I do. No one's calls will work as effectively as my own. He won't leave me in any way, so long as __I stay with __him. I'm sure of it." The young woman turned to go, but Hikou caught her arm in a tight grip. She whirled on him, eyes burning with barely held-back rage. "Let go of me. Everyone's waiting."_

"Not until you hear me out," he said calmly. "Not until I make a promise, to you and to Houjun."

"Then hurry up," she snarled, jerking her arm out of his hold. "I don't have time for this."

"You never do," Hikou agreed, voice still as even and decisive as ever. "Kouran, please listen to me, for once in your life don't just hear me but listen. I don't care if you hate me forever after this, even more than you already do, but you have to at least understand me, all right? You have to understand why I'm doing this. 

"Houjun's health is dangerously unstable, and this world is the cause for that pain. Don't try to deny it, you know it's true. Now I agreed to this, and you agreed to this, because we thought we were saving him, not damning him. But ever since he got here, things have just gone from bad to worse. And I can't..." Hikou took a breath, tightening his fists at his sides. "I can't stand seeing him like this much longer, Kouran. It's killing me to see him reliving that hell, as much as it's killed me to watch you rip yourself apart with self-hatred all these years.

"You know how much I care about you. And no matter what happens, now or ever, nothing's going to change that. But I care about Houjun, too, and I'm not going to condemn him to this fate if I can prevent it. You think you have all the answers, that you know what's right for him, but you aren't the only one who loves him. Remember that. I've followed you from the beginning, but here is where I have to draw the line. Here is where I have to make an ultimatum for this sick little game we've been playing with his life." 

"An ultimatum? What are you talking about!?" she demanded, voice tight as she fought to keep herself under control.

The man's maroon eyes burned with a bright, protective fire. She hadn't seen that look of determination in a long time, not since... well, she didn't like to think about that. "If, when the two of you return from the Imperial City... if Houjun isn't any better... I'm going to tell him everything. The truth. And there isn't anything you or that damned Angel or anyone can do that'll change my mind." 

It was not a question, but a statement. A small gasp escaped Kouran's lips as she realized just how serious Hikou was about this. He wasn't bluffing this time, wasn't just voicing his thoughts half-heartedly: he was going to do it. Oh, gods, he was going to tell Houjun and then, and then it would all be...!

"Kouran, Hikou, what in the world are you two doing?" Shinsei called from his perch in the well-made cart. "Come on, now, we need to get going if we want to be there by this evening!"

"C... coming, Shinsei-san!" Kouran shouted over her shoulder, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. She turned back towards Hikou, recognizing the blaze that burned in his eyes as the same one that shone in her own. The young woman straightened her shoulders, meeting his stubborn maroon orbs. "Fair enough," she said, a hint of grudging respect in her tone. "I'm going to set everything right this week, so it's not like I really have anything to worry about."

"Well, for Houjun's sake, I hope you do," was all he offered in response. Hikou watched as she turned and walked quickly to the cart, hopping up next to Houjun and chatting with him as if their conversation had never happened. The young man knew her well enough, though, to know that she understood his words. She knew that he was telling the truth, and she knew how much lay at stake on this trip. Good. That would make her work doubly hard at her job of helping Houjun, would force her to face her fears and self-doubt if she expected to save him from his nightmare reality. This way, Kouran was certain to succeed. Exactly as Hikou had planned it.

And yet, as he watched the cart carrying his best friends disappear down the road, the young man couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't _prefer_ to have Kouran fail.

***

The driver of the cart, a friendly heimen - commoner - by the name of Tamori, pulled up in front of "The Dancing Dragon" just as the sun was beginning to sink into the horizon. Kouran craned her neck up to look at the classy Inn, putting a hand to her mouth in amazement. "My goodness, Shinsei-san, you said it was one of the best places in the capital, but I never expected something this lovely!"

The Ri father chuckled at her excitement, noting that even his apathetic son had managed to look astonished at the sight as well. "Wait 'till you see the inside. It's not the most expensive inn, but I'm under the belief that it's the nicest, and certainly the friendliest. The staff knows me, so the two of you won't have any problems getting anything you need - just ask and they'll deliver."

"You aren't coming in?" Houjun wondered, jumping down from the cart and giving Kouran a hand as she joined him.

Shinsei shook his head. "I'm due to spend the evening at the capital with some of the other representatives - a glorified gossip party is all it is, but it'll look bad for the Shouryuu River villages if I'm not there. I'll probably stay the night and most of tomorrow up there, but I ought to be back by late afternoon. We can tour some of the better markets when I get back, if you'd like. In the meantime, why don't you get settled in your rooms and take a look around The Dancing Dragon?" the older man winked at the pair. "They've got the best hot springs in Konan, you know."

"That sounds wonderful, Shinsei-san," Kouran agreed, handing her bag to a heimen that had scurried out from the inn to help. "I haven't had a good hot springs soak in ages, not since Okaa-san took me to Hatsuko Oba-san's village almost a year ago."

"I hope you enjoy your stay..." Ri Shinsei grinned, but the look he sent his son was entirely serious. "And I really hope you make sure to _stay_ in your own rooms tonight."

 Kouran blushed brightly and glanced away, but couldn't stop the smile from tugging at her lips. The older man looked to his son, hoping for some kind of reaction out of the impassive youth, but Houjun just gazed at the inn wordlessly, as if the magnificent place meant nothing to him. Well, with the way he had been acting recently, maybe it didn't. 

Shinsei sighed and turned back to Tamori. "To the palace, please."

"Hai, Ri-san."

Kouran waited until the cart was a few buildings away before turning back to Houjun. "Come on, Houjun, let's take a look at what an Imperial Inn looks like, shall we?" She smiled, grabbing his wrist and gently tugging him into The Dancing Dragon. "What do you want to do first? Shall we go to our rooms, unpack and get something to eat? Or would you rather skip the meal and go straight to the hot springs? You look like you could use some relaxation, and if those springs are half as good as Shinsei made them out to be, they ought to do the trick."

"Whatever sounds good to you, Kouran," he replied, surprised to discover a small smile on his lips. As terrible as things had gotten, he still found that his beloved's touch, voice and presence always had the power to make him feel just a little bit better, just a little bit more like his usual self. "I'm not really hungry, though, so..."

"Great, then that solves everything. We'll lay our stuff out, find some robes and take a little bath," the young woman declared, forcing herself to be as cheerful as possible in front of Houjun. The time for understanding would come later; for the moment, she needed to make him believe that she _wasn't as much of a nervous wreck as he was. For the moment, he needed her strength, even if it was just an imitation of strength._

Although, leaving him alone, even in a hot spring, would not help her cause...

***

Houjun, glad to be away from the world that demanded him to be social, cast off his robe and sunk up to his chin in the soothing waters of the Dancing Dragon's hot springs. He had the entire pool to himself that evening, for which he was extremely grateful. The young man was not in the mood to speak with strangers, to have them casting sidelong glances at his disfigured eye while pretending to be looking at something else. He had had enough of that from the driver Tamori and the heimen workers at the inn.

He heard a soft splash of water from behind the wooden panel that divided the pool. That would be Kouran, preparing to enjoy her soak as well. He smiled a little, fighting off the urge to take a peek through the wood and scolding himself for the fact. Perhaps Hikou had not been so wrong about him... well, he was only human, after all...

The young man turned his eye to the water below, watching his reflection in the steaming pool. He pulled back his bangs a little, running a hand along the smooth skin of his jagged scar - a thoughtful habit he had developed. It was strange, he thought, that the wound didn't bother him as much as he knew it should. He was self-conscious about it, certainly, and did his best not to bring attention to it, but that was more for the sake of others than for his own peace of mind. The scar really had nothing to do with his current state - he felt almost comfortable with it, he realized - rather, it was the details that went with the injury that plagued his waking and sleeping hours-

_"Thinking about anything special, Houjun-san?"_

_The young man glanced up from the pond waters, brushing his bangs across his scarred eye and turning to look at the person who had called his name. He bowed his head just slightly to the older man, the senior monk who had taken the broken youth under his wing and pulled the shards of his sanity back together, if only temporarily. "N... nothing in particular, Takashi-sensei. Just..."_

_"Just the past." _

_"H-hai, Sensei, no da."_

_"As usual." Akura Takashi, Hatsuko's only son, took a seat by the monastery pond, watching as a few small fish darted along below the water's surface. "The others say you're coming along very well, Houjun-san. That's good to hear - when you first arrived, I don't think anyone believed you would last a week."_

_"Why would they think that, Sensei?"_

_Takashi popped him gently over the head, waving a finger in the youth's direction. "Ah, ah, ah, please recall what I told you about questions."_

_"'It's not a monk's duty to question only to, ano, observe, serve and listen...'"_

_"Correct, and nicely memorized."_

_"...'Especially foolish questions from the mouth of an idiot trainee who might find out the answers if he'd stop asking and just wait and listen,'" Houjun finished with a small smile.  
Takashi blinked in surprise, then looked away and grumbled under his breath. "Very nicely memorized. However, I think 'impertinent trainee' would have been a better description."_

_"I can hold my tongue when need be," the young man remarked innocently. "For example, right now, since it's not my place to correct an elder, I'll refrain from adding that you began this conversation with _a question, Sensei. I could add that, but I won't, seeing as how it would be rude."__

_"No wonder Satsuki wanted to kick you out from day one," the older monk said, unable to cover his broad smile. Takashi was well-known for his patience and good humour, two qualities that had been desperately needed when dealing with Houjun upon arrival. "Let's go for a walk, shall we, my young friend?"_

_"To where?"_

_"Why must we go__ anywhere?" He stood, holding a finger out before him and quoting one of the many ancient philosophers. "'A man's destination matters little; rather, it is the direction he travels and the steps he takes that determine where he is truly heading.'"_

_"What's that supposed to mean, no da?" Houjun wondered, rising to his feet as well._

_Takashi paused thoughtfully, then grinned at his young companion. "I haven't the faintest idea." Ignoring Houjun's sweatdrop, the older man started off down the path that circled the pond, forcing his young charge to follow in his wake._

_The two monks were silent for a long while, the oldest lost in his thoughts and the youngest taking in the beauty of the blossoming trees. Takashi stopped after they had traveled a good distance, closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts and asked the kami [gods] for guidance in his next words. He had not wanted to have to do this, but the Oracle had demanded it. And no man, especially a monk, turned his back on a divine order from the Oracle. _

_Takashi took a breath. "Have a seat, Houjun-san, I have something I must speak with you about." The youth did as he asked. "You've been here with us - here in Himawari Village - for almost two years, haven't you?"_

_"Hai," he agreed, turning his eyes towards the vast, simple monastery that he had called home, ever since his true home had been destroyed. He closed his single eye as well, breathing in the sweet smells of spring. "It's been... very helpful, Sensei. I've... actually been able to find some happiness here, with you and the others. I think I'm beginning to atone for my sins, as well."_

_Takashi sighed heavily. He was happy here. Oh, Fates and Fortunes be damned, why were they forcing him to do this? "Yes, you have. You have learned much, and, I hope, gained much. I'm... I'm proud of you, Houjun-san, for all you've accomplished." He turned to the young man, trying to cover the pain in his hazel eyes with hard determination. "You have learned all there is to learn, all I or anyone else could teach you. The rest you must learn on your own, once you leave Himawari."_

_The young man nodded. "Hai. Perhaps in a few years, I'll be ready to..."_

_"You do not have a few more years," Takashi said bluntly. "Whether you are ready or not, Houjun-san, that's irrelevant. You must leave within the week. There is no debating the issue."_

_Houjun jerked his head upward, unable to believe the stern words that had just issued from the kindly man's mouth. The young man's eye widened, the pain of betrayal - oh, how bitterly familiar it was! - leaking from his single orb. "S-sensei... you're, you're... abandoning me...?"_

_"I don't have a choice. It was ordained by the stars and kami long before I met you, Chichiri-sama," he explained, using Houjun's seishi name, the name Hatsuko had told him when she had brought the boy here. He had only used the Celestial identity during very important times, hoping that it invoked a deeper sense of maturity and strength in his fragile young friend. "You have a mission, Chichiri-sama, whether you will admit that to yourself or not. The Priestess may arrive five years from now or tomorrow afternoon, and you would be all but useless in her quest if you stayed here."_

_"Takashi-sensei..." The younger monk felt his world begin to shatter around him again. Oh, gods, no, not again... not again...! Houjun gripped his mentor's kesa in one hand, ashamed to feel tears of desperation welling up in his single mahogany eye. "Sensei... please, don't do this to me, not when I've come so far, gotten so close..." _

_Takashi pulled his robes out of the young man's grip. He turned away, unable to bear the look in his student's eye. "I'm sorry, Chichiri-sama, but this isn't my decision to make. It is Fate. I will pray for your safe passage and deliverance, as will the rest of my colleagues. May Suzaku guide your steps."_

_The monk turned away from his charge and continued down the path, leaving Houjun alone to sob miserably at the utter unfairness of the world. Takashi's face was as tranquil as the monastery pond, showed no weakness or doubt... but even the calming words of the spirits could not still his troubled heart that evening._

Houjun sighed as the vision dissolved and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. They came and went as they pleased, these days; the young man did little to fight them off. After the "accident," as his family discreetly called it, Houjun had completely broken down, had given up on life for over a full week. During that time, that time when he felt no connection to anyone or anything, his strange visions had nearly taken over. The voice of the man called "Tasuki," as well as a female voice that had recently emerged, had broken through at all hours of the day, heedless to whether he was asleep or not. 

The further he got from his reality, the closer he seemed to get to that other world of shadows and false memories. He had long stopped battling them - had begun to think of them as an asset, in fact. They were proof of his mental instability, and yet proof of his sanity all at the same time. As long as he kept having the visions, and acknowledged them as visions, he knew he was still hanging on, however weakly, to his own mind.

But that was the problem, he discovered. The more of the visions he had, and the more frequent they became, the more he began to wonder if, just maybe, these so-called images weren't just images, but something... something more. Just what that "something" was, he couldn't begin to guess, but a part of him had to wonder...

A pair of slender arms slid themselves around the young man's neck, holding him in a soft, intimate embrace. He stiffened at the touch, but was immediately released from his worries by the call of a familiar, quiet voice. "Houuu-juuuun..."

The blue-haired youth relaxed immediately, leaning back against his beloved's chest, and closing his eye in relief. Ah, it was only Kouran. Nothing to worry about.

Wait a minute. 

"Kouran!?" Turning a color somewhere between red and violet, the now-chibi young man yelped and scrambled out of her hold. He splashed deeper into the pool and ducked down, panting heavily. He kept his head averted from her face, praying that the water had been foggy enough to cover up anything... anything that didn't need to be seen, especially by a member of the opposite sex. The laughter of his female companion reached his ears; Houjun blushed brighter and scowled, trying to forget the way her breasts felt against his back. Now was not the time. "W-what are you _doing_ in here? Did I get the wrong hot spring? I thought this one was for the men..."

He could hear her amusement, as she replied, "No, you're in the right place I just thought... well the inn's deserted this evening, it's just the two of us, and I thought you might want a little company." Her voice softened, and for a moment Houjun thought he heard the smallest bit of a tremor in her tone. "You've been alone so much recently..."

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," he said, attempting not to sound too eager or too annoyed. Either way, it would probably be bad for him. "But this is a divided hot springs, and, eto, we're not even engaged or anything, so, it just doesn't seem right that we should, um... it just wouldn't be decent, you know, so..."

Kouran's light, tinkling laughter rang out through the spring once again. "Houjun, would you please wipe the blood off your nose and turn around?"

The young man scowled, too irritated by her comment to do anything but comply. "I didn't get a nosebleed..." he grumbled, jerking his head backwards quickly. She had asked him. It was all right to take a quick peek as long as she asked him... Houjun blinked, surprised and a little disappointed to see his beloved clothed in one of The Dancing Dragon's bathing robes. The light blue material wrapped tightly around her body from her ankles to her shoulders, tied in front with a similarly colored obi. The robe did not fit properly, and had slipped down to reveal a bit more of her chest than was considered polite, but otherwise there were no rules being broken. Well, not on her side, anyway, he reminded himself as he realized he was still very much naked in the steaming water. 

The young woman chuckled at his reaction and took a seat at the edge of the steaming pool. "Oh, please don't look so sad, if I hadn't worn the robe we _really would have been in some trouble."_

"Sad?" he gulped and looked down, doing his best not to stare at her gorgeous figure. He had always found her attractive, but now that she was dressed in such a tight-fitting garment... by gods, you couldn't really tell anything about a woman under all the robes they typically wore! "Listen, you should probably go back to the other side. And, if you're lonely, I mean, tired of the springs, then we can always do something else."

Houjun did not look her way, but he could hear the disappointment in his beloved's voice. "You're right. I apologize. This really isn't like me, I don't know what came over me... I just, I just kept thinking about you, alone in here, with no one to talk to if you needed to talk about, well, anything I guess... but maybe you don't want to talk at all... and I should just respect that, right...?" She glanced up, noticing that he was watching her now. She met his single eye with her own pair of soft brown ones, making sure they leaked sorrow. "I really am sorry, Houjun. I'll leave you alone, now, okay?" Her robes swished against the ground as she rose, preparing to leave and praying he would try to stop her. 

The young man's eye widened at the sound, surprised by the jolt it sent to his heart. It was as if his last chance at salvation were getting up and walking away, and he had been stupid enough to encourage it! Houjun whirled as he realized with sudden clarity that, above all else, he couldn't possibly be allowed to be alone, not now or ever again. Not when he was so close to that edge, so close to plummeting off of it forever... so close to losing everything, his friends, his family... Kouran...

Kouran!

"Matte!" he cried desperately, barely remembering to keep himself hidden under the water as he stood to watch her departure. "Kouran, wait! Please...!" she paused, turning her head just in time to see him slip against the ground in his haste, hands barely catching his fall. "Please..." he whispered, looking down and finding himself staring at his own desperate, pathetic reflection, "don't apologize. And don't go. Not yet." Not ever.

"Houjun?" The young woman hurried to the water, but hesitated at the pool's edge. Common decency demanded that she not even be alone in the same room, never mind in the same bath, with a man that wasn't her husband, particularly an unclothed man... oh, etiquette be damned! Kouran thought vehemently, and - after grabbing her beloved's discarded robe from the shoreline - darted into the water, kneeling down just short of where the young man sat. "Are you all right? Is everything...?"

He smiled weakly, devotion and gratitude radiating from his single mahogany orb. "I'm fine, but I think this hot spring has had enough of me. Why don't we go get dinner in the lobby? I hear their yellowtail is exquisite." He propped himself up a bit, touching Kouran's pale, frightened cheek with one hand. "Then, maybe, we can... talk. I think I'd like that."

Kouran's look of concern was quickly replaced by one of happiness. Houjun wanted to talk. Better yet, he wanted to talk to _her_! Surely, now, she could fix everything, she could begin the painstaking task of helping her beloved sew his life back together... oh, thank the gods!

Houjun took the robe out of her nerveless hand, grinning a little as she turned around to allow him time to dress himself. He fastened the obi tightly, touching her shoulder to let her know he was finished. "We should probably get out of here. If someone came in I can't imagine what they'd think."

The young woman offered him a hand as he came out from the deeper portion of the pool. "Oh, I'm sure we'd be all right," she assured him. Kouran looked down, blushing a little as she spoke her next words. "We could always just tell them we were newlyweds. That seems to explain away a lot of... 'impolite' behavior, don't you think?"

"Newlyweds, huh...?" the young man chuckled, though he certainly didn't find the idea to be a far-fetched one. "I wouldn't mind the sound of - woah!"

As one of his feet caught against the side of the hot spring, Houjun slipped, grabbing onto Kouran in an attempt to keep his balance. The young woman fell backwards under the weight, and found herself pinned tightly against the wooden partition that divided the pool, up to her waist in spring water. Kouran laughed, turning her eyes to find her beloved's face less than an inch away from hers. "Clumsy one, aren't you? It's really..." She trailed off, noticing the strange, reverent look in Houjun's eye. She had only seen that look from him a few times before, and that in another lifetime, right before they...

The young man's mahogany orb roved over his beloved's body, from her slightly exposed chest to her perfectly shaped, gentle almond eyes. He brushed a strand of wet lavender hair out of her face, his finger trailing down her forehead to her bottom lip. By gods, she was beautiful. He said her name in a wavering whisper, as if afraid to break the trance that hovered between them. "Kouran..."

"H...hai?" Her sparkling orbs had switched from amusement to a curious look of fear and excitement. She was amazing like that, the way she could be terrified of something but captivated at the same time. Especially about something like this. He loved that about her. He loved everything about her.

Without warning or the usual hesitation, the young man pressed his lips gently against his beloved's own, enthralled by the fire that raced through them at the gesture. His previous worries seemed to vanish with the action, dissolved in the fires of their mutual love... oh, he never wanted it to end, this brief moment of bliss...

Houjun's eye widened as he realized what he was doing, and, fighting against his instincts, he pulled away reluctantly. He could see the same look of passion in Kouran's eyes, but that didn't excuse his actions. He shouldn't have done it, shouldn't have just, just lost himself like that! "I'm sorry," he gasped, out of breath, every nerve screaming against his timid actions.

"Don't be," Kouran assured him, and, gripping his chin, returned the fiery kiss with her own.

Houjun slammed one hand against the wooden partition to keep his balance, but found the other roving where it pleased, one by one discovering the many treasures of his beloved's body. Kouran made no move to stop him, only gripped his shirt tighter in her fists, pulling her lips from his just long enough to whisper his name before diving back into the passionate abyss. Oh gods, she was so beautiful, everything about her was beautiful, he had wanted her, wanted this, for so long... he wanted to give her everything, everything he had and would ever be. He loved her so much, and now he could prove it to her, prove it in the most beautiful way he could, in a way that was just as beautiful as the woman he adored.

Without realizing it, Houjun found his hand at the bottom of Kouran's robe. A part of his mind screamed against what he did next. It wasn't right, what if she wasn't ready, what if she didn't want it, they weren't even engaged, they shouldn't, they couldn't...

Softly, in faltering movements, he started pushing the thin material out of the way. Kouran, understanding his intentions, pulled back, meeting his frightened eyes with her own. "Houjun..." she said quietly. "I, I don't know... I don't know if we should do this. Not here. Not now."

"It's all right," he assured her, pausing only briefly between kisses. "We're 'newlyweds,' remember? It's understandable."

The young woman shook her head, turning her face away. "That's not what I mean. It's just... Houjun, I... I just don't... I'm a little scared, is all..."

Houjun paused, her words bringing him back to himself with alarming speed. She was frightened. He wouldn't do it if she were afraid. He refused to do something like that to his beloved, no matter how much the rest of his body screamed for it. "So am I," he admitted, stroking the side of her face tenderly with one finger. "But I also love you, Kouran. More than anything, more than fear and doubt, I love you." Houjun took a deep, controlling breath, forcing out his next words, even if he didn't want to say them. "But... but if you don't want to, I won't, we'll stop, and-"

Kouran cut him off with a fierce, almost protective kiss. She pulled away, unknotting her hands from his shirt and bringing them up to his face. Suzaku help her, she loved him so much. But she couldn't admit to wanting this, she couldn't admit that underneath her fear she wanted it as much as he did. It just wasn't in her nature. If only he would stop being so careful, so hesitant in his actions and just push forward without asking her permission... "No," she finally said. "I don't want that, either."

"So," he asked in a quiet, husky voice, bringing his mouth a hairsbreadth from hers, "what exactly _do_ you want? Just name it, aijou [beloved], just name it and I'll give it to you."

"What I want...?" the young woman ran her hands through his loose hair, pushing his wet bangs out of his face in the process. "I just-" Kouran's eyes fell on Houjun's disfigured eye, on the pale, jagged scar that raced across the left side of his features. It was the first time she had ever really seen it, ever seen the injury that her beloved had suffered, all at the hands of her cowardice and Hikou's passion.

The sight brought her back to reality with a jolt, and without realizing it she winced, just slightly. How could she have ever done such a thing, albeit unintentionally, to the man she loved so much? _'Oh, Houjun, how can you still love me after that?'_ she moaned to herself. 

The grimace did not go unseen by Houjun's remaining eye, nor did he miss what had caused the expression. The young man pulled away, swiping his bangs back across his scar and adjusting the mussed appearance of his bathrobe. The moment had been ruined. Perhaps it was for the best. Kouran deserved someone as perfect as she was, after all... and he... well, he... "We should go," he said quietly, almost coldly. "It's getting late, and what if someone saw us?"

Kouran's eyes widened. He hadn't cared about that a moment ago. Had he... had he seen her look? Did he - did he actually believe-? "Houjun, please, I wasn't... I'm sorry, but I..."

He stood, backing away and politely helping his beloved stand in the shallow waters. He made sure to keep the disfigured side of his face turned away from his female companion, just in case she caught the glint of the scar in the waning light. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault. It's not..." but he never finished his sentence, just took her hand in his and led her from the waters.

The pair made their way in almost complete silence up the Inn stairs, down the small hallway and to their adjoining rooms. Kouran ached to comfort him, to explain the real reason for her grimace, to beg him to forgive her for all sins, past and present, but she couldn't find the right words. She could never find the right words, it seemed. Besides, to tell him everything would ruin her cover, would ruin this world that she had worked so hard to make. Telling him might ruin his future as easily as remaining silent would.

Houjun pulled to a halt, glancing up at the pale wooden door that led to his room. "This is mine," he remarked in the same deadpan voice he had been using for the entire trip. It was probably better this way, to close himself off and just forget about everything. How could he have been stupid enough to think he needed company? He was a sinner, a murderer even, if not in this life than in some other. He hardly deserved comfort.

"And, this is mine," the young woman remarked in an almost timid tone, nodding towards the room next door. She glanced at Houjun out of the corner of her eye, hoping to see some emotion in his apathetic visage. Sorrow, reluctance, even anger would have been better than that look of uncaring, as if nothing mattered anymore. 

Kouran opened her mouth to explain, to give her beloved some kind of comfort, but he cut her off before she even began. "I'll see you in the morning. Oyasumi." He opened his room door and disappeared into the darkness inside, leaving Kouran with so many unspoken words on her trembling lips.

The young woman crossed the hall in a few short steps, touching her palm to the door's handle. "You said it wasn't my fault," she whispered under her breath. "If only you knew, Houjun, if only you know how much it _is_ my fault. I just wish... I just wish I could make it up to you... somehow..."

 Kouran longed to throw open the door, to embrace him and promise that no matter what happened she would always love him, she would never feel differently about him. She wanted to go to him, _needed to go to him, but some part of her body would not let her. Something always held her back. Something that she couldn't place, some kind of fear - in herself, in him, in this fragile world they had built? - that kept her from being at his side. It always kept her from being at his side, just when he needed it the most._

"I want to help you so much, Houjun... but... why... why can't I do that...?" Her hand dropped from the door in defeat. She turned her eyes to the ground, clenching her fists in anger at her helplessness, at all her fears and doubts. Kouran felt tears leak their way from her eyes as she cursed herself to the deepest pits of Hell for her all her sins, all her weaknesses. She would lose him for certain, if this went on. If she could not even comfort her beloved, if she couldn't even meet his eyes at a time like this, then she would lose him, again and forever to that horrible, nightmare of a world. Stupid, useless whore that she was, unable to save even the man she loved! 

"But I can't do anything, not a damned thing! I don't even have the courage to face you, to help you when you most need me. I never do. Maybe I never will..." 

The young woman sighed heavily, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her forehead. "I'm so disgusting."

***

Once inside the safe walls of his room, Houjun collapsed on his bed, turning his eyes upwards to the darkened ceiling as he tried to wipe his mind clean of the evening's events. As he tried to forget Kouran's open-mouthed desperation, right before he had closed the door in her face. He cursed himself quietly, knowing how stupid and selfish he had been but unable to do anything about it. He should have stayed with her, he knew he should have stayed with her, but after the incident in the hot springs he just didn't feel that he could. Not after she had looked at him like that, as if somehow his injury were her fault, as if she had been the cause for all his pain and sorrow. 

More than that, more than that, a part of him chided. He could not face her because he was afraid to face her, because he was afraid of what he might say. Because a part of him _wanted to place the blame on his female friend. On both she and Hikou, who, if his visions were right, had cruelly betrayed him for one another. But that was wrong, because of course they hadn't betrayed him, she was right here with him, had nearly given her entire being to him a moment ago... No, no, Kouran would never do that to him. She didn't deserve his blame._

_'Not in this world, anyway...'_

Houjun shook that thought from his head, the constant thought that had been nagging him since the accident. The part of him that began to question how real his reality was, and if maybe, just maybe, those visions had more validity than anything else... But no. Kouran's touch was too real, her laughter and gentle voice too authentic, her kisses too wonderfully sweet for them to be false.

But what other explanation did he have, other than a steady decrease in his sanity...?

"Oh, Suzaku, I need some answers," he groaned to the darkness of his room. "Except that I don't want answers. Not any more. Not even again. I just want release. Release from this torment, from these visions, from those voices..." 

_'And I had nearly achieved that this evening,' he thought to himself. _'When I was with Kouran, when we were together, it was like I forgot about all my problems. The visions always disappear when she holds me, those constant calls vanish completely, even the old images seem to fade into the background a little.'__

Gods, he needed her so much. He wanted, so desperately wanted, to run into her arms and sob out everything, all his fears and doubts, all his visions and thoughts and worries... wanted to dump all of his problems upon his beloved and force her to help him carry them. Because he was tired of carrying them alone; because he could no longer carry them alone. He wanted to make her promise that she would never leave his side, that she would always be with him to chase away the nightmares and false memories, to be his port in this unmanageable storm.

Which was what sickened him the most. How could he do that to his beloved; how could he even think of doing that to her? She had her own worries, her own concerns. This was hard on her, too, though it took every ounce of his being to acknowledge that fact. She loved him, cared so deeply for him, and _he _wanted to use her as his own personal shield! What was wrong with him? Had these visions ripped away so much of his soul that he didn't even have his self-respect anymore? That he couldn't even treat Kouran right; that he wanted her to protect him, rather than the other way around?!

He already knew his answer. It was not an answer he enjoyed.

Houjun sighed heavily, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his forehead. "I'm so disgusting," he murmured to the murky gloom of the night.

*****  
*****

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: January 27, 2004; 2:30 PM_

Hao, minna-san!  
Goodness, I'm getting really bad about updating, aren't I? I blame it all on school and sports - they've taken away my social life _and_ my internet life. Pity me, O Readers; mine is a crazy, crazy existence. Actually, I probably could have posted this last week, but as I'm sure most of you know Chapter 17 of "Bridge Over the Abyss" came out. Need I say more? And yes, that _is_ my grand excuse. I'm so pathetic.

**Random Chapter Comments** Okay, I think that when an author puts excrutiating work into a chapter, toiling endlessly over scenes and re-toiling endlessly over those scenes, they have a right to complain about that, and let their readers know just how much toiling went into that piece of work. Ergo, I'd like you all to know that the Toil-&-Curse-O-Meter for Verse 14 was astronomical, a 10.5 and then some. Now, I shall explain why. First off, having just written what is essentially the climax to the First Movement (Verse 13), hopping off that pedestal and moving back to a slightly slower-paced, but no less dramatic, Verse was a bit difficult. In many ways this was a transition chapter, and those tend to be murderous anyway. The number one reason was, however, the "Steam Scene" between Houjun and Kouran, a scene I stressed, mulled and tore my hair out over numerous times, unsure how I wanted it portrayed and unsure if that portrayal was even remotely correct. The truth is, it's very hard to write about something you've never experienced, and I, Miss Purity, Miss Sweet-Sixteen-and-Only-Kinda-Been-Kissed, have never experienced anything like what Houjun and Kouran were undergoing in that chapter. It was so, so hard, but I managed to pull something off, and now I can only sit back, be content with my final copy, and hope that you all found it satisfactory as well.

**Answering Reviews** First of all, as always, I'd like to welcome my newest readers, FYFanGirl-san and Wingweaver-san, to the wubulous (yes, wubulous) world of RFS! Hopefully my rather scattered updates haven't turned you away from my works already, heheh...  
_--To Everyone, on Verse 13_ Thank you all so much for your praises for Verse Thirteen! When you really put your heart into something, the only thing better than telling yourself "job well done" is knowing that others appreciated that work, too! So, thanks one and all for showing your support for this fanfic thus far, and I can only hope I continue to entertain you as this bit o' epic continues.  
_--To... Almost Everyone, Again, on Kouran_ *Mega-Mega-Sweatdrop* Y'know, she wasn't developed to be a hated character... *Sadness* I hope that before this Movement is over, I might be able to sway you to the "Kouran-Sympathizers" side. I mean, be honest: would _you_ want to let Chichiri go, especially if you thought his "real world" was a living hell?  
_--To Fire Pendant-san, on Hikou_ Well, yes, Hikou does know that Chichiri has friends in the real world, which is why he's skeptical about what they're doing. But you have to remember that Hikou and Chichiri haven't seen one another in about fifteen years, and a lot can happen in fifteen years. So, that's where Hikou's main struggle comes from: his desire to please Kouran and "help" Houjun, and his concern that maybe Houjun's real world isn't so bad as they've been led to believe.  
_--To Roku-senpai, on lots of things_ Ah, yes, the "modern-day references"... well, you've successfully touched the one spot of this fanfic that's been giving me a nervous tic since day one. Some of the modern-day speech, like "no way," was intentional, and basically just meant to convey that they're pretty much ordinary high schoolers - you know, to help people relate to them - but the other things, like the school system... *super wince* I wrote a lot of that in my "well it isn't _actually_ Ancient China so I can take liberties" mood, but that didn't last very long and it left me grimacing about the references. I went back and re-did a lot of that, it was _really_ ugly before, but several of the scenes it was simply impossible for me to edit without taking away from the story, and other things I never really picked up on, like my "college" remarks. So, I'm working on my re-edit job and am diligently trying to trim that down a bit, but for now I can only promise to try and do better in the future.  
And I have no idea what they wear for underwear; I assume it's a type of loincloth, or something like the diaper things they wore in Japan. Maybe I'll look into that, if I get the chance. And don't you know? Mind-f*ck is fun! I like to think that's what I'm doing with my readers, in fact... *supergrin*

_Quote of the Week:_ "We're big kids now, we can write bigass paragraphs!"  
~~My English Teacher, talking about our next essay paper~~

**Verse Preview?** The final Verse of the First Movement. Dreams and hopes, love and truth... but which will prevail?

Your Mind-F*cking Author,  
Dee ~_^ 


	17. Verse Fifteen: Tooi Yoake

-FREE WEB SITE HOSTING - envy.nu-

The Free Site 

  
**_

Verse Fifteen: Tooi Yoake  
--Faraway Dawn--

_**

"Forever Love, Forever Dream  
Because I need you by my side  
To hold my trembling heart until dawn.  
Ah, will you stay with me  
Until the wind passes?  
Now, I need you more than anyone."  
~X Japan; "Forever Love"~  


Houjun had not wanted to go to sleep, but nevertheless he found himself drifting off shortly after his disastrous evening with Kouran. The young man rolled over onto his left side, his scar pressing against the pillow. If anyone were to walk in, he mused silently, they would think he any ordinary person. No, from an outside angle, from an outside view, you would never know what was going on within another person's mind, what kind of torment they were undergoing. Perhaps it was best that way. His life had become a living hell. He could not imagine what he would look like if his physical appearance showed every contour of his pain, every tortured groove of his anguish. 

Maybe not much worse than he already looked. After all, even Kouran hadn't been able to stare at the injury, without...

The young man shuddered as he began to doze off, gripping his pillow and forcing himself to forget about that. To forget about the look his beloved had sent him, that look of pain and sorrow and - what he hated most of all - pity. He knew he did not deserve pity, didn't even want pity: he just wanted understanding. But how was he supposed to get that, when he couldn't even understand himself?

Houjun pushed those thoughts from his mind and slept, though he knew perfectly well that, even in dreams, he could not escape his ongoing nightmare. As darkness and slumber enveloped his mind, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for the visions to reappear. Would they allow him to sleep peacefully for a few hours, or attack immediately, without warning? It had become something of a hellish game. 

Houjun did not have to wait long to find out. Almost as soon as he slipped from the world of consciousness a new, unfamiliar dream began to take shape in his mind. He, a helpless puppet, could only watch as the images and so-called memories unraveled, the opening act to another long, painful night.

_The young man stepped up to one of the many food stands in Eisha Kawa [Shining River] City, digging around in his kesa for the appropriate amount of money. A monk, by law, was not allowed to hold many material possessions outside of what was necessary, but they were also not supposed to take handouts from the working citizens. A nice catch twenty-two, which basically meant they had to work for the small amount of money they were allowed to accept._

_He pulled out his final set of coins, laying them in front of the man. The clerk's head jerked up, and he blinked in surprise at the monk in front of him. His eyes roved over the lean figure, whose down-turned mouth and mussed clothing looked as if it had seen much better days. Despite his somewhat weather-beaten - or life-beaten, as the case could be - appearance, he still carried an air of youth about him. He was young, perhaps in his early twenties, and under his battered spirit still lurked a soul that enjoyed life. "Ah, hai, monk-san. How can I help you?"_

_The youth unconsciously tugged at the kasa that rested on his head, pulling it down so it almost completely covered his eyes. "Ano... a bag of rice, please. And," his tone took on a hopeful, hungry sound, "you wouldn't happen to carry any of those sweet chestnuts, would you?"_

_The shopkeeper laughed, winking at the young man. Monk or no monk, his youth was still evident. "I believe I might have a few, monk-san." The clerk took down the wanted items, throwing in a couple extra sweets for his beleaguered customer. "Anything else I can help you with?"_

_"That's all. Arigatou."_

_Slipping the items into a small, light satchel that he wore on his back, the monk turned and departed, turning down a narrow side street as to avoid the bustle of the crowd. He tried to keep away from the townspeople whenever possible. He had found life was much easier that way._

_As he turned, ready to make his way from the city and back into the peaceful countryside he loved, a piercing female scream interrupted his thoughts and made him stop in his tracks. He hesitated, wondering where the sound had come from, when another screech filled the air, this one rattling with what sounded like the word: "Help!"_

_Without knowing how or why, Houjun detected the terrified life force of a young woman just south of where he was standing. The young man took off down the streets, determined to find out what the problem was and - if possible - correct it. It was a monk's duty to serve, after all, and if the woman was in trouble..._

_Houjun skidded around a corner, single eye widening as he saw a pair of men hovering over a shrieking female, attempting to force her to the ground. The girl's shirt was ripped savagely down the middle, and her face was bloodied, but she continued to avoid capture and fight as best as she could. It was only a matter of time, though, before she lost the fight and was ravaged by the vicious men._

_The young monk didn't waste a second. Gripping his shakujou - his staff - firmly in one hand, he banged the butt of it on the ground. The trio looked up at the sound of the jingling rings, the pair of men tensing, expecting an attack. Once they saw whom it was, however, the two relaxed and chuckled. _

_"Eh, nothin' t'worry about here, monk-san," one remarked with a sneer. "We was jus' havin' some fun with my girlfriend."_

_"Yeah, better move on b'fore y'get yer pretty robes messed up," the other added._

_Houjun frowned. "Perhaps you two should be the ones moving on," he suggested, trying to keep the tremor of anger from his voice. Still as a pond, like Takashi always said. You were underestimated that way. "Judging by her screams, I'd say the young lady wasn't enjoying your 'fun' as much as you were." He glanced towards the girl, offering the hand that wasn't holding his staff. A small, gentle smile lit his attractive features. "Shall I take you back home, Nee-san?"_

_The young woman hesitated, looking between the two men and the monk. After a moment, she nodded, moving on trembling legs towards the disciple of Suzaku. One of the men turned and slapped her hard across the face, knocking her back to the ground. He whirled, one lip curled upwards at the older man. "Ah, now why'd'ja have ta do somethin' like that? Ya coulda lived a long life, too."_

_Houjun raised his staff, gripping it in both hands in a fighter's stance. Silently, he thanked Takashi for his many - and secret, as the others had forbid them - lessons in self-defense. A small part of him had to thank Hikou, his brawling partner for so many years, as well. "You have one last chance to leave," he told them, voice lowered to a dangerous growl._

_The two young men attacked, both lunging for their opponent's throat. The young man slid one hand down the staff and pulled the other back, angling it so it was level at his side. As the men drew closer, he took a small step back, then lunged forward with the shakujou. The staff rang out through the street as it came into contact with one of the men's stomachs, dropping him quickly to the ground. _

_The other man avoided the dangerous pole and pulled back, swinging a punch at the monk's head. Houjun sidestepped the brunt of the blow, though it managed to glance against his kasa and knock the headgear to the back of his neck. The man blinked, surprised to see the dangerous scar gleaming in the sunlight; Houjun took that moment of shock to slam one well-aimed hand into the back of the man's neck. With a yelp of pain, he collapsed._

_The young monk sighed, running a hand through his recently shaved blue hair. "Arigatou, Suzaku, for granting me this victory," he muttered, knowing Takashi would approve of the small prayer. He sighed, watching as the pair of men scrambled to their feet and dashed away. "And I apologize, for having to brutalize some of your stray servants." Houjun always added that, even though the Akura monk had never taught him those words. He did not enjoy violence, but unfortunately he still had to use it once in a while. _

_Houjun turned towards the girl, who still sat shaking on the ground. "Daijoubu," he assured her. "Those jerks won't bother you anymore." He smiled gently, once again reaching out a helping hand to the frightened young woman._

_The girl turned her eyes up to meet his, but her look of fear was not erased. Rather, it seemed to have intensified._

_She took one look at his uncovered scar and screamed._

"No, please..." Houjun whimpered in his sleep, trying to reach out to the girl, but the vision had disappeared as quickly as it had come. He was left once again in the murky darkness of his mind; left to worry about his next dream and to anxiously attempt to assure himself that none of this was real. Gods, if nothing else, he had to believe that. That was the key to sanity, separating the fiction from the truth, the dream from the reality. Once he understood that, none of this could hurt him. None of it.

Not even the look in that girl's eyes, Takashi's farewell, Mitsukake's death... no, not even that fateful kiss could hurt him after that. 

_"Chichiri..." _a familiar kansai accent cut through Houjun's thoughts like a knife, slicing into his reality and opening a rift in the worlds. The voice was not its usual vibrant self: there were hints of anger, confusion, even fear in the undertones. _"I really wish ya were here right now... things're gettin' so messed up..."_

"Here"? But, but where was "here"? Another world, another life? Was Tasuki the voice of madness, threatening to pull him into darkness... or the voice of truth, trying to guide him back to light...? Which was he, a demon, or an angel? And who was to say which side was right, anyway... Who was to say what was right or wrong, in this nightmare that Houjun couldn't wake up from...

The young man suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to find answers, a desperate need for peace and release. Could Tasuki, this savior, this condemner... could Tasuki give him that? He was willing to find out. Was willing to gamble even his sanity to find out. Houjun cocked his head to the voice and, following the sound of the words, took off across the murky void of his consciousness in search of the mysterious speaker.

_"I... I'm gonna have ta leave ya, fer a while... but I promise I'll be back, as soon's I can,"_ Tasuki assured him, the usual hint of fire and determination back in his voice. _"And when I come back... I'm gonna have s'me answers about all-a this. That's a promise."_

Houjun shook his head and sighed. Promises, always promises. But what good were they, when they were so easily broken? When all it took was a moment of weakness to shatter that promise, and the hearts of those around you?

The young man quickened his pace, surprised to see something shimmering on the horizon. Was that it? Was that his answer? Was it in here, all along, buried somewhere in the back of his tormented mind? Oh, please, Suzaku, he prayed. Let that be it! Let that uncover the secrets to my hell. Please! 

_"Hikaru'll look after ya," _the kansai speaker continued. _"I know she will. She's real fond of ya... she's... well, anyway, hang in there, an', if ya really can hear me, which I kinda doubt, ya gotta try yer best t'get back here, okay?" _His voice lowered, and for a moment Houjun thought he heard a tremor in the normally strong tone. _"We need ya. More'n ever, we need ya."_

Yes, they needed him... and he needed them, too, he realized, more than he needed anyone else. Tasuki was the key. Tasuki _had_ to be the key! Yes. Finally, yes. And he would do his best to get back to them. He would do it right now. Right now, he would find his answers, and he would find Tasuki, and he would save him like he always did.

...Like he always did...?

***

As she had no real need for sleep, Kouran had stayed up most of the evening, pacing her room and wondering what in the world to do about Houjun. Time was running out, of that she was sure. Either Hikou would tell him, or Houjun would find out on his own. And Kouran could not allow that, could not allow her former friend to destroy Houjun's future, could not allow that other, horrible world to suck him back in. She simply couldn't!

The young woman frowned, subconsciously feeling like something was wrong. Unsure what the feeling was but knowing it must have something to do with Houjun, Kouran decided to take a walk down the hall and see if her beloved was having problems. Maybe he was awake, unable to sleep due to nightmares or worries. Of course, and when she arrived, she could soothe his troubles, set all his questions to rest, and finally save him. "What a nice, idealistic thought," she berated herself as she slipped out of her room. "Too bad things never happen like that in the real world. Baka."

Kouran stopped in front of Houjun's door, listening for the sound of his voice, or some other indication that he was awake and troubled. After a moment's hesitation, the young woman knocked timidly against the wood. "Houjun?" she called. "Are you awake? I couldn't sleep and I just thought..." she trailed off, leaving him to answer the sentence. The young woman waited hopefully, expectantly, certain that he would come to the door and they would finally be able to work everything out. But there was no response.

She sighed, turning her eyes to the ground. He was asleep. Of course. And, even if he wasn't, perhaps he just didn't want to see her right now. She couldn't blame him. She wouldn't want to see herself, either, after that disaster in the hot springs. How pathetic.

The young woman turned to go, only to stop once again as she heard a faint, almost hysterical murmuring from behind the thin wood. "No... no, please... don't go... you can't go..."

Kouran's frown deepened. A nightmare? Was Houjun having another of his numerous visions? It seemed likely. The young woman faltered in her movements for a moment, then shook her head hard. No, she could not run away again. She had to face him head on, had to confront his nightmares with him, instead of turning away from them. Houjun needed her. By gods, she wasn't going to let him down again. The young woman opened the door.

***

_"What? Ah, son of a... I gotta go now, 'Chiri," _Tasuki remarked, trying to force cheer into his voice. _"But if I get back an' yer still like this, then there's gonna be a monk ass t'kick, y'got that? I ain't playin' nursemaid to ya ferever y'know. So... come on back t'us, okay? ...Please?"_

Houjun sat up in bed, though he was unaware of the physical action. His mind was still lost in his dream, still faltering desperately towards the wavering voice of the bandit. The bandit that had said he needed him, that so obviously needed him, now more than ever... he couldn't let Tasuki down, not now, not after everything they had been through together. Tasuki didn't deserve that. He had to find some way... some way to escape...

_"Jaa ne, Chichiri."_

Panic welled up in Houjun's throat. Tasuki was leaving? Tasuki was leaving him?! No, no, he couldn't, not now, not when he was so close, so close to regaining whatever he had lost; not when he was so close to discovering the truth! He reached a hand out towards the shimmering haze that he knew must be the seishi bandit's ki. "No... no, please... don't go... you can't go..."

The young man's body flared with a power he did not know he had. He felt tears of frustration come to his eyes; he closed them tightly, throwing the building heat out towards the haze, praying for his friend to stay, to stay a bit more... just a little longer and he knew he would have it...

"Please, Tasuki! IKANAI NO DA!"

***

The young woman truly did not know what to make of it.

Houjun was sitting up in his bed, his eyes closed and his breath coming out in long, deepened intervals. Nothing seemed to be physically wrong with him, save for a slight paleness to his skin. Was he just sleeping, then? She knew she had once awoken from a dream to find herself sitting up in bed. Kouran mentally scolded herself for being so paranoid, but still couldn't convince herself that her beloved was unharmed, either mentally or physically.

The young woman frowned, sensing that something was deeply wrong with Houjun, something that was almost invisible to her eyes. She squinted a little, trying to figure out what it was... and nearly cried out at what she found. She hadn't noticed at first because it was so slight, but he looked... well, he looked like he was almost _flickering_, just barely. As if he were teetering between the edges of his realities... as if he were seconds from slipping away from her...

The young man's eye snapped open, but it did not seem to see anything in the room. Rather, the mahogany orb stared forward blankly, looking into a world that Kouran knew she would never be able to visit. A world of nightmares, of questions... of truth...?

"...Tasuki..."

Tasuki...? Wait. Tasuki. The Suzaku shichiseishi?! Kouran's hand flew to her mouth. Then, then Houjun was... oh, gods, no, no... she was too late, she was too... too... Houjun continued to tremble with emotion, continued to flicker, though now it was noticeable, so very noticeable...

_No!_ Kouran suddenly cried, feeling something within her shocked soul spark back to life. She would not allow it! Not now, not after all her hard, meticulous work! Not after all the pain and sacrifices! She would not let them have him back! Fears forgotten in her desperate concern, Kouran practically flew across the room, kneeling down on the bed in front of her beloved. She cupped his face in her thin hands, forcing his lifeless - almost soulless - eye to meet her own. 

"Houjun, Houjun," she said gently, trying to keep the panicked edge out of her voice. She leaned in until their foreheads touched, voice trembling with emotion and fear. She threw all of her will into her next words, dove into his soul with her eyes alone, trying to pull her beloved back from the brink of his void and into the world he knew, the world he trusted. The world where she could keep him safe at all costs. "You can't leave, Houjun. Not now, not ever, you can't. I love you so much, more than anything. I couldn't... I can't bear the thought of losing you, once or ever again. You have to come back. You promised, remember? You promised that you wouldn't leave me. Come back. _Please_. This is where you belong. With Hikou. With your family. With me. Houjun."

***

Houjun was moments away from where the voice of his seishi friend had been, mere seconds from bursting through the orange-yellow haze and discovering... something. He didn't know what, exactly, but each step he took brought him closer, closer to himself, closer to Tasuki, closer to the truth he so wildly sought... if only that bandit would keep talking, keep guiding him towards where he needed to go...

"Houjun, Houjun."

A familiar female voice stabbed through the darkness, piercing his single-minded thoughts and jerking him back on invisible threads. The young man stopped, wavering between answers and the sound of his beloved's trembling calls. He glanced back over his shoulder, though of course there was nothing there. Nothing but the grey haze he had been traveling through for so long... he was so _sick_ of seeing just that fog…

"You promised, remember? You promised that you wouldn't leave me."

He _had _promised that, hadn't he? He couldn't go back on something like that. Not when it would hurt Kouran so much. He shot a backwards look at the shimmering golden haze, still hesitating, still torn between the two points of truth... his reality, his family and friends and beloved, or a place that must exist, had to exist, a place that he wanted to find so bad...

"This is where you belong. With Hikou. With your family."

But Tasuki... and that name, that name, Chichiri, the name they kept calling him...

"With me."

Kouran...

"Houjun."

Yes. Houjun. Not Chichiri. Houjun. The young man closed his single orb, allowing the gentle tones of his beloved to bring him back to his world. His recent dream slowly evaporated, his gradually recovering memories destroyed with the sweep of his mind's broom. He had promised. And he loved her. That was enough. He could forget about the rest of it.

_And yet..._

Houjun opened his eye, finding himself staring straight into the worried face of his beloved. He blinked in confusion, pulling back and trying to tie the pieces of his last sleeping moments together. There had been a dream, hadn't there? One not so different from his others, right? But wait... something _had_ been different. Something...

"Oh, Houjun," Kouran breathed, touching her lips to his in relief. "Thank the gods. Thank the gods."

The young man automatically embraced her, surprised and concerned by the tone of fear in her voice. "Kouran. What's... what's going on?" He looked past her shoulder, realizing that the two of them were on the bed in his moonlit room. And he was sitting up. "What happened? When did I...?"

Now she was the one who pulled away, so that she could face him. Her visage held a mixture of confusion and worry, a look that he knew he was wearing as well. "You don't remember?" He shook his head. That must have been the answer she wanted, because her face broke into a relieved smile. "Nothing, really. You were having a dream. You must have sat up while you were having it. I heard you talking in your sleep, so, I came in to see what was the matter." She shrugged. "And then you woke up. That's all."

He shook his head, turning his eye towards his partially opened window. For some reason, his mahogany orb trailed to Hyokkokusei, the North Star. "How weird... I don't remember anything about the dream... nothing exact... but, somehow..." He trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence. Unwilling to tell Kouran that, somehow, he felt as if he had just lost something that he had been striving very hard to reach. Lost it, perhaps, forever. The young man turned back to his beloved, noting that the concern had not left her gentle, chocolate brown eyes. He forced a smile that he didn't really feel. "I'm all right, Kouran. Really. It was probably just another bad dream. I have so many of those, lately..."

"Tell me about them," she said bluntly. "About all of them. About anything that's bothering you. Anything and everything, if you need to talk about it, then I want to hear it."

Houjun blinked at the rapid series of unexpected comments. "Eh? Kouran, I don't-"

"Liar." She kissed him suddenly, and just as fiercely, cutting him off in mid-sentence. The young woman drew her lips away after a few moments had passed, forcing her body under control. Right now, he needed her emotional comfort over her physical comfort. "You're a terrible liar, Houjun. You have plenty you need to talk about. And I want to know all about it." She ran her hands through his sweat-drenched hair, alarmed by how violent his dreams must have been. "So please. Please, tell me your pain. Any of it. All of it. I want to help you."

Houjun shuddered, hating how much he loved hearing her say those words. Hating himself for buckling under and doing what she asked. "The stuff I told you and Hikou about before... remember? About the kiss, and the betrayal? Remember?" She nodded, which he took as a sign to continue. "After we talked, I thought... I thought I should try to figure it all out. So I could stop it from happening, stop whatever it was from happening, ever or again. I went to the riverbank, that night of the accident, to find my answers." His eye trailed once more to the stars outside his window. Why was he so interested in the constellations tonight? "I got my answer. Now, I wish I hadn't. 

"Hikou and I fought. Over you, I guess. It was more over friendship, maybe jealousy... I don't know. Anyway, we fought, and I... the bank gave out, and Hikou slipped, and I grabbed his hand, but then, then..." Houjun gulped, fighting to control his emotions and struggling to push the words from his mouth. "Then I lost him. I may as well have killed him. I _did_ kill him... I'm such scum, such dirt...!"

"No..."

"After that I gave up for a while. I just... lost whatever strength I had. I don't know if I ever got it back. But the visions and the nightmares took over, drove me to the edge, practically off the edge. If it wasn't for you and Hikou, there at the end, I might have - no, I know I would have-" he gulped for air, wondering when he had begun to cry. "I've just been so afraid. So afraid that it'll all come true, that it _has_ come true, somehow, some way, that I really _did_ kill him."

"No, no," Kouran whispered soothingly, stroking her beloved's hair with her slim, gentle fingers. "That will never happen. I told you before, and I'll keep telling you until you believe it once and for all. I would _never_ leave you Houjun. Never."

"But what if... you already have?" he whispered, eye turned to the bed sheets.

Kouran's orbs snapped open, a small gasp escaping her lips. "Houjun-"

But he went on, either not hearing her or not caring what she had to say. "Maybe, maybe that betrayal really happened, and I really did kill Hikou… maybe I really am the Suzaku shichiseishi, that wandering monk that everyone seems to trust even though I don't even deserve that… maybe it all finally drove me over the edge, and I'm imagining all of this... maybe… maybe _none _of this is even real."

His voice had slowly turned to a nearly hysterical sound, and Kouran feared that, this time, he really was going to lose it. She pushed back the part of her that wanted to break down and cry, to run away or freeze up and force Houjun to deal with everything on his own. He needed her. She would not turn her back on him now. The young woman turned his head upwards so she was meeting his eye. Kouran pushed back his bangs, staring straight at his disfigured visage without flinching. Her voice was just above a whisper: a calm, soothing purr filled with sadness and love. "I'm real, aren't I?" 

She brushed her lips against his own, then moved them upwards to tenderly caress his scar. Houjun sighed heavily, allowing his beloved to pull him to her own body. The young man leaned his head against her chest, nodding in weak agreement. What was the use in arguing, when he couldn't even make _himself_ believe in his fears? When, deep down, he really didn't want to believe them. "Hai. You're real, Kouran. If nothing else, you're real."

"And I love you, Houjun. You know that don't you? I love you more than anyone, more than my family, my friends, even my own life. I would do anything for you, anything at all. You said the same thing to me earlier this evening. So, now I'm saying it to you. Whatever you want, Houjun, just name it, and I promise I'll give it to you."

The young man shivered in her arms, even though he was quite warm. He gripped her sleeves in his weak hands, closing his single eye. "Will you stay with me?" he asked her, voice barely audible. "Will you stay by my side, with me forever? Stay with me, and chase away these horrible dreams, these nightmares that keep trying to pull me away from you, from everything I love? I can't do it by myself anymore. Kouran, I need you so much right now. Please, all I want is you by my side." 

He hated himself for his words, for his weakness and frailty, but he could no longer help himself. He could no longer turn away her offering hands. If this request could ease his mind, then he would endure the self-loathing that came with it. He could deal with that later. And yet, a small part of him couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something, missing something, still painfully far from finding true peace...

Kouran chuckled. "Is that all? Goodness, that's awfully easy. Of course, Houjun. I'll stay with you for as long as life allows, and into the afterlife as well. We'll always be together." She rested her chin atop his head, smiling even though he couldn't see it. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too. And... and thank you."

She felt Houjun relax against her warm body, releasing his tired mind to its first peaceful dreams in weeks. She continued to hold him in her arms, long after he had drifted off, still stroking his hair between her soothing hands. The young woman turned her eyes upwards until they were viewing the star-streaked sky through Houjun's window. She squeezed his sleeping form protectively, as if to reassure him of her earlier promise.

_Yes_, she told herself, confident at last. _I will stand by you forever, Houjun, as long as you need me. I will never run from you again, no matter how afraid I am, no matter how much pain I may be suffering. From now on, I'll face everything, and because of that, I'll be able to really save you this time. I'm sure of it._

Kouran whispered a phrase to the stars above: a single, eternal promise that she would forever hold sacred. "Zutto, toki no hate made... watashi wa soba ni iru yo."

The night had been long, and there was still much darkness to come, but the young woman would keep her promise throughout the long hours. She would stay with him until the sun chased the stars from the sky. She would stay with him until their new dawn arrived.

*****  
*****  


"Zutto, toki no hate made... watashi wa soba ni iru yo" = "Always, 'till the end of time... I will be beside you"

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: March 20, 2004; 11:20 p.m._

Hao, minna-san!  
Let's start this off with a good old-fashioned session of groveling and apologizing, because I am so, so sorry to make you all wait so long for this chapter! Honestly, it's been finished for quite a while, just sitting around in my hard drive waiting for me to give it the final editing job and slap it up. However... well, you know that usual string of complaints/excuses? Multiply it by ten. Life has been wild. But that's still no excuse, and I'm terribly sorry. Hopefully, none of you have given up on this just yet - the going's been slow, but I still intend to finish it, one of these days. (Let's pause for a round of sweatdrops... and moving on!)

Oh, and on a totally unrelated note: Go Jayhawks! Woo!

**Random Chapter Comments** Well... ta-da! The first movement and all its drama has passed! I'm sure that probably wasn't how you all wanted it to end, but that's how it turned out. The wheel weaves as the wheel wills, whatever that means. Flames are welcomed just as much as praise. And hey, don't give up on Houjun just yet - there's still two Movements to go, and anything can happen!  
Oh, and speaking of the other Movements... don't expect them to come out for a while. Due to school, work, sports, and a severe lack of creativity (no doubt caused by the former three), I'm only about three and a half verses into the Second Movment, and I want to get a little farther into it before I start posting. It's an editing peeve of mine, involving last-second changes and so forth (best not to ask). I can't give you an exact date, but I think (and by "think" I mean "desperately hope") that I should start posting again around, oh... probably May. Maybe June. That's a rough estimate, mind you, and depends solely on whether my vacationing creativity wants to come back or not. (Let's pause for a long, drawn-out sigh... and moving on!)

**Answering Reviews** First of all, let me start by welcoming Kyokujitsu no Youkai-san to the small but loving "RFS" family! And hey, you're pen name even has "Kyokujitsu" in it, like Houjun's village! What a crazy coincidence! Erm, with luck, this message will actually reach you; after such a long period of dormancy, I can imagine that a lot of people forgot all about this fic...  
_-To Everyone, on Kouran_ Yes, yes, I'm sure half of you want to strangle her after this chapter, but in regards to previous comments... I'm quite glad that a good number of you understand where Kouran is coming from. I like knowing that I'm not the only person who doesn't want to kill her. However, to those of you who are really irritated by her, I completely know where you're coming from, too. In particular, I wanted to address _Space Cat-san's_ comments on Kouran's selfishness. Well, you're absolutely right. Kouran is a selfish person. But, so is about ninety percent of the cast of this story. In fact, with this comment you've touched on one of the larger issues of this story, and that is the essential selfishness that almost everyone possesses. That's really where most of the conflicts in "RFS" come from. There are really only about two people in this story who I would consider completely unselfish (I'm not gonna tell you who, though!), and at this point they happen to be my two favourite characters, probably for this very reason.  
However, on another Kouran issue, the one about her not really loving Houjun... well, I'll just leave the Third Movement to answer that argument. (Let's pause for a moment of confused pondering... and moving on!) 

_Quote of the Week:_ Due to my recent lack of posting, as well as the fact that this man's books were part of the reason I was too busy to post, this quote seemed appropriate:

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."  
~~~Douglas Adams, the genius author of "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series~~~

Your March Maddened Author,  
Dee ~_^ 


	18. Program: Page II

********

**_:: Program: Page II ::_**

**__**

**_--"This is the very ecstasy of love,  
Whose violent property fordoes itself  
And leads the will to desperate undertakings  
As oft as any passion under heaven  
That does afflict our natures."--_**

**_ William Shakespeare; "Hamlet: Prince of Denmark"_**

**--Important--** I have to get a lot of disclaimer things out of the way in this thing, so don't feel obligated to read it all. It's important that you read the "Timeline of Movement Two" and, if you've forgotten what happened in the First Movement (which is understandable), then you're welcome to read the "Summary of Events." After that, please feel free to move on to the actual story – these are mostly just "nothing notes" that need to be written.

**Disclaimer: **All the lovely creations of Watase-san's belong to Watase-san, and not to this poor author. The Weaver isn't mine, either, though I don't suppose he really belongs to anyone in particular. Everything else – including the storyline! – is mine and all mine.

**Rating: **A somewhat shaky PG-13, particularly in later chapters.

**Timeline of Movement Two: **The Second Movement of "Rhapsody" takes place entirely in the real world – so sorry, no Chichiri for a while – but it doesn't start _exactly_ where the First Movement ends – rather, it goes back in time a little bit, to chronicle the happenings on Mount Reikaku from the end of Verse Eleven (when the bandits last made their appearance) and on. There's also an Interlude in the middle that goes quite far back in the RFS timeline, but that'll be noted when I get to it.

_**--Reikaku's**** Character Index--**_

_Just in case you forgot…_

Tasuki/Genrou – a seishi bandit; leader of Mount Reikaku

Mitsuragi Koji – a bandit; co-leader of Mount Reikaku

Asatenshi Hikaru – a beautiful young woman from a distant country; works in a shrine to the Mother

Asatenshi Shuu – Hikaru's somewhat difficult and often secretive sister; works in Konan at a Suzaku Shrine

Kuragata Genji – a young, perky bandit who has managed to fall in love with Koji

Ken – one of Reikaku's newest members

Ryo – Ken's comrade; also a new member of the Reikaku bandits

Akutsuki bandits – a rival mountain gang that's recently begun attacking Reikaku

****

**_--A Summary of the First Movement—_**

_(I did my best to make it brief, I swear!)_

**The Set-Up: **In the Spiritual Realm, the Weaver of Fates is planning for his world to progress forward to an age of technology and out of the age of magic, and for this to happen, the seishi – the last bearers of the world's magic - must be destroyed. He is met by an Angel of Genbu known only as Asatenshi, who says that, although the gods have not agreed to his plan, Genbu _does_ see the necessity and has sent her to help. The Weaver sends her to earth to help him discreetly move his pieces into place. She warns that her sister – a Chosen of the Mother - may try to stop him; he says they will deal with that as it comes.

**In Verse One**, Chichiri is heading to Mount Reikaku for a New Year's Party when he crosses paths with Asatenshi Hikaru, a young woman from a distant country. She too is heading in the direction of Reikaku to meet her younger sister; the two agree to travel together. They become fast friends. They arrive on Reikaku in **Verse Two**, where they are greeted by an irritated Tasuki and a love struck Koji. Since Hikaru's sister is nowhere in sight, Koji invites her to stay on Reikaku, and even asks her to stay through New Year's. After some persuasion, Tasuki agrees. While eating dinner later that evening an angry young woman bursts her way through a closet – where Tasuki had been keeping her as "prisoner" – and, to the others' surprise, is greeted by Hikaru as "sister." She is Asatenshi Shuu, the temperamental younger sibling to Asatenshi Hikaru. **Verse Three** chronicles both Koji's first real talk with Shuu – where she vehemently tells him to "stay away from she and her sister" – and Chichiri's feelings of unrest. Chichiri reveals his past to Hikaru, and the two become closer friends. It also seems that Hikaru has a crush on Tasuki… New Year's eve takes place in **Verse Four**, where the festivities are ruined when Chichiri collapses into a coma. **Verse Five** picks up directly where Four left off, with Hikaru explaining that the monk has been Trapped in a universe of his own creation and can only escape of his own will. Tasuki is suspicious of both Asatenshi women but Hikaru's actions and Koji's words eventually convince him that they're harmless. The monk, meanwhile, comes into contact with a mysterious "voice" who forces him to confront some of his selfish desires. His memories are then erased, and he awakens in his dream world – he is eighteen again, and living at home with his family. **Verse Six** introduces "Houjun's" childhood home and friends. His happiness is interrupted, however, by a violent headache and flashes of memories he can't remember possessing. Kouran and Hikou worry for him – and worry for the fragile world they helped create. **Verse Seven** tells of three separate, sleepless nights. The first is Houjun, who, after having another splitting headache at dinner, finally goes to bed with Hikou nearby, keeping watch. His dreams are filled with unknown memories, particularly one of he and Hikou fighting in the OVAs. He awakens, terrified; Hikou tries to comfort him. Tasuki, meanwhile, tries to push back his own worried thoughts and get some sleep, but eventually gives up and tries talking to the comatose monk, in hopes that it might help bring him back. Finally, Koji is thinking too much about Hikaru to sleep, and decides to take a walk around Reikaku. He comes across Shuu; the two have another, somewhat tense discussion about Hikaru – and how she only likes leaders. Their talk leaves Koji with the first flickers of jealousy, and perhaps rebellion.

A week passes, and **Verse Eight** begins, this time with Koji practicing his dagger techniques. Hikaru and Genji – a young, hero-worshipping bandit – watch the display; Genji runs off to make breakfast, and Koji and Hikaru have a talk. Ken – a new bandit – interrupts them, saying that something's wrong with Genji. The three rush to the kitchens to find the youth in pain; it seems someone's poisoned their food supplies, though Genji only had a taste so he's all right. Koji knows it's the Akutsuki gang – a rival gang that's been giving them trouble recently. Meanwhile, Houjun goes a week without any "memory flashes" and thinks it's finally gone. He arrives at school to find that a new, temporary teacher has arrived from out of town – and even though he doesn't know her, he somehow puts the name "Asatenshi" to her. In **Verse Nine**, after yet another alien memory, Houjun confronts "Tenshuru Asashi," the new teacher, thinking she might have answers to his sudden headaches. She seems to be pushing him towards discovering the truth, but Kouran interrupts them and Houjun leaves with her. Kouran asks Houjun not to get involved with the young teacher; he somewhat grudgingly complies. The two are about to kiss, when suddenly Houjun has a "memory flash" of the kiss between Kouran and Hikou. **Verses Ten and Eleven** chronicle Houjun's worsening mental stability and frequent memories, as well as Kouran and Hikou's shaky relationship and their agreement to "save" Houjun from his original world. Koji falls deeper in love with Hikaru, Tasuki finds that he's becoming attached to the young woman as well, and Genji privately admits his love for Koji. In **Verse Twelve**, Kouran and Hikou take Houjun to "Paradaisu no Toride," a secret cave where they used to play as children. Houjun finally tells them about the memories and his worries; they promise to never leave him. Houjun, in turn, promises himself that he'll find the answer to all this, so he won't cause them any more pain. He confronts his fears in **Verse Thirteen**; he goes to the nearby Shouryuu River in a storm, hoping to trigger a full memory of "that night." He gets his wish, and in the process his left eye is split open from eyebrow to nose. He nearly falls into the river, but Hikou saves him. Hikou takes his friend home; Kouran and her father, Doctor Suzunami, arrive soon after. Houjun awakens to the realization that "he killed Hikou," and breaks completely down. Another week passes, and with his family and friends growing more and more worried about him they finally decide to send him to the capital in **Verse Fourteen**, hoping that the atmosphere will break him from his shell. Kouran and his father go with him. Houjun and Kouran are left alone at the inn, and in the midst of a passion-filled moment in the hot springs Kouran sees her beloved's scar and winces – and Houjun sees the look. The moment is ruined, and the two retreat to their rooms, hating themselves for their weaknesses. In the last and final verse of the First Movement, **Verse Fifteen**, Houjun dreams once again, but this time Tasuki's voice penetrates through from the real world. Houjun fights through his subconscious towards the bandit's calls, and nearly breaks through, but is called back by Kouran's pleas. Houjun asks her to stay with him – he can't take this alone anymore – and she promises to never leave his side. And so, **_The First Movement: Angels_** ends.

**_--First Movement Titles—_**

As I stated in the first Program, the chapter titles of this li'l epic are all real Japanese (usually anime-related) songs. Though I never really claimed "ownership" of them, I still feel like I should recognize the voice talents behind the titles, as well as the anime – or CD – they came from. Like I said before, you don't need to read this: it's basically for my own peace of mind.

> Verse One: "Meguri Aeta Koto" - Sung by Tomokazu Seki and Yuuki Hiro, from "Weiss Kreuz [White Cross]"
> 
> Verse Two: "Hajimari wo Korakara" - Sung by Hayashibara Megumi, from "Love Hina"
> 
> Verse Three: "Mask" - Sung by Okui Masami, from "Bakuretsu [Sorceror] Hunters"
> 
> Verse Four: "Saigo no Bansan" - Sung by Weiss (1), from "Weiss Kreuz"
> 
> Verse Five: "Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore" - Sung by Takahashi Youko, from "Evangelion"
> 
> Verse Six: "Living in the Pleasure World" - Sung by Tomokazu Seki, from "Weiss Kreuz"
> 
> Verse Seven: "Nemurenai Yoru wa" - Sung by Okui Masami & Hayashibara Megumi, from "Slayers"
> 
> Verse Eight: "Another Day" - Sung by Miyamura Youko, from "Outlaw Star"
> 
> Verse Nine: "Angel Blue" - Sung by Tomizawa Michie,from "Those Who Hunt Elves"****
> 
> Verse Ten: "Enrai" - Sung by Kawai Yuuko,from "Saber Marionette J"
> 
> Verse Eleven: "Yuudachi" - Sung by Suga Shikao, from "Boogiepop Phantom"
> 
> Verse Twelve: "SANKYUTARI" - Sung by Sakamoto Maaya, from "Chikyuu Shoujo [Earth Maiden] Arjuna"
> 
> Verse Thirteen: "Crimson Scar" - Sung by Takehito Koyasu, unknown source
> 
> Verse Fourteen: "Reflection" - Sung by Hayashibara Megumi, from "Slayers"
> 
> Verse Fifteen: "Tooi Yoake" - Sung by Takehito Koyasu, from "Gundam Wing"

(1) Weiss is a seiyuu group that consists of Tomokazu Seki, Takehito Koyasu, Yuuki Hiro, and Shinichirou Miki


	19. Prelude to Second Movement: Demons

**_--Second Movement: Demons--_******

**_::Prelude::_**

****

_Deep within the heart of the Spiritual Realm, amidst a swirling mass of grey mists and black nothingness, the Weaver still sat, gazing pensively at his world, the earth, laid out in front of him. He had various important tasks to handle, as always, but had decided to let many of them take a back seat to the incident among the seishi - the incident that could very well decide the fate of the world._

_"Is that all, Weaver-sama?" a young Genbu messenger asked, shifting from one foot to another anxiously. The deity waved a dismissive hand in his direction, too lost in his thoughts to answer. "Ah, very well, then. I shall give your regards and tidings to my master Genbu-sama. Sayonara." The Angel offered his superior a low, nervous bow, then waved a hand and disappeared in a flash of green magic._

_A small sigh escaped the Weaver's lips as he watched the messenger depart, allowing the young Angel's information to sink in. Byakko had been reluctantly swayed to his brothers' sides, but Suzaku still bitterly refused and the gods were making little progress. Things were not looking any easier for he who guided Fate. He could only hope that Asatenshi would arrive soon, so he could set the next step of his secretive plans into motion. The Weaver's delicate hand drummed against his leg in irritation as his grey eyes darted across the Void, searching for some sign of the angelic woman. "Where _is _that impossible Angel? I called for her long ago..."_

_"Perhaps if Weaver-sama would exercise some patience, he would not find the wait quite so unpleasant." Shortly after the words were spoken, the Morning Angel appeared, bathed in an aura of emerald light. She bowed in mock formality to her current employer, a teasing note in her voice. "You called for me and I have come, despite the risk it adds to our mission. Should a wayward bandit enter my room and find a soulless shell, I should think they would be most surprised, do you not agree?"_

_The Weaver scowled. "Point taken. I shall make this brief."_

_"I don't suppose this meeting would have anything to do with the gods reaching a decision?" Asatenshi wondered hopefully. Her lips turned downwards in a childish pout. "Or, is that asking too much from the quarrelsome quartet?"_

_"Much too much, I fear," the deity grumbled, leaning his elbows against his "chessboard" and lacing his fingers together thoughtfully. He was silent for a long moment, puzzling over his never-ending game of lives. He moved one of the many pieces upon his board, this time farther away from another, then looked up at the Angel. "How fare you with the seishi? I have been focusing intently upon that battle, whenever I am allowed the time, but I have other duties I must attend to, and unlike my troublesome Mother I am not omniscient. Have I missed any details of importance?"_

_Asatenshi__ lowered her eyes respectfully, immediately businesslike. "Your plan worked marvelously, Weaver-sama. The monk's greatest weakness is slowly proving to be his downfall. He is Trapped tightly, and is too closely connected with his deceased comrades to be in any real hurry to discover the truth." She glanced up, just slightly. "However..."_

_"A part of him still desires to return to that which is his true world," the Weaver completed with a frown. "That blasted monk never fails to surprise me... just when I think I have everything perfectly planned..." he trailed off, extensive memory fading back to a day so many years ago. He looked up again after a moment, blinking, as if he had forgotten that the Angel still awaited his orders. "Chichiri is stronger than even I imagined, both in body and in soul, and it does not help that he has quite a bit of outside aid. Your sister is reaching him, bit by bit, as is that other seishi."_

_"Hai, that they are." Asatenshi snorted. "Nee-san's magic has grown; in the past, she would have been helpless against my barrier. And I never would have believed that just the _sound_ of that bandit's voice would so easily call Chichiri back to reality. Seishi really are quite aggravating, deshou?"_

_"Never mind that," the deity snapped, growing impatience in his voice. "Our issue lies with the monk's connections to reality. If this continues, his return is imminent, and if he returns then our game is ruined, as is this world. Something must be done, and I believe I may know what that something shall be."_

_The Angel raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Oh? And what do you propose we do? The only way we can get the bandit to stop speaking with the monk is to force him from the stronghold, or perhaps..." her emerald orbs lit up with realization. "Are you suggesting that we move forward with the process, and destroy the seishi pair simultaneously?"_

_"Precisely."__ The Weaver of Fates waved a hand; in moments, the image of the dark-haired Reikaku co-leader appeared in his palm. "And this is the tool we shall use to eliminate him." Asatenshi tensed with curiosity, but said nothing. "I have noticed that this one, this soul mate of the bandit seishi, has managed to fall in love."_

_"Hopelessly so," Asatenshi agreed with a small, annoyed frown. "It is really quite disgusting, if I must be honest. Human emotions are pathetic." She chuckled, just slightly. "My charming sister has attempted to halt such thoughts of romance, but I feel that, for all her trouble, she only kindles the fires."_

_"Odd; I was under the impression that you were the one trying to staunch his ideas."_

_Asatenshi__ flashed a quick grin. "Reverse psychology _is_ a lovely device. I had hoped to draw them further apart, so it might be easier to dispose of the seishi bandit." She frowned, putting her chin in her hands thoughtfully. "However, there is a very large difference between drawing them apart and turning them against one another. I fail to see how you are going to make that seishi's comrade his kil__ler: they are true friends, to the very core."_

_The deity nodded, grey eyes alight with planning. "Perhaps... unless properly motivated." His illusion disappeared, and the Weaver turned to his board once more. "In anticipation of such troubles, several months ago I enlisted some, shall we say, reinforcements for my mission. My brother, Enma-sama, has agreed to send some of his greater underlings to aid in my cause."_

_The Angel's eyes widened in surprise.__ "The Lord of the Shadow Realm?" she blinked, alarmed by the sudden announcement. "Then that means... you have gone so far as to make bargains with...?"_

_"Hai, Asatenshi," he agreed, voice a deadly whisper. "You will have the aid of a pair of demons - a pair of very powerful demons, I may add." The Weaver's stern visage broke into a small, amused smile at her unhappy expression. "Ah, so all Angels truly despise their counterparts so fiercely?"_

_"Those... _things_... are not our counterparts," she spat. "While we faithfully serve our Masters, working at their bidding and completing their will, they only serve themselves, cooperating out of their own sick pleasure."_

_"Nevertheless, they are experts at their line of work: cruel, clever, vicious, and beautifully efficient." The Weaver's pale grey eyes darted in the direction of the woman, making sure that she was paying full attention. "One of them is a Souleater, and the greatest of his kind. I have made a deal with him, Angel, a deal that you must help me complete."_

_"I shudder to think what you offered such a loathsome creature."_

_"The bargain was nothing extravagant, certainly nothing that shall cause _you_ any unnecessary pain," he assured her. "I have simply made an exchange. He shall give me his services in eliminating the seishi, and I shall allow him to have a... host."_

_"A host?"__ Asatenshi looked away, eyes reading something near reluctance. "So, the stories were correct, all along. You really do not care how many lives you destroy for the 'greater good,' do you, Weaver-sama?"_

_"The Fate of our world is at stake," the deity snapped, not at all in the mood to argue with the Angel. "A few sacrifices mean little in the grand scheme of things. One death for a million lives? Hardly tears at my conscience."_

_She kept her emerald eyes on the dark void below her. Asatenshi's voice sounded suddenly quiet and unsure. "A few lives, perhaps... but a soul as well...?"_

_The Weaver's grey orbs narrowed in accusation. "Have you been spending too much time in the company of humans, Asatenshi? Beginning to care for them? Going the way of your meddling sister, hm?"_

_Her head snapped back in his direction, eyes flaring indignantly. "Never!" she cried. "They mean nothing to me, they _are_ nothing to me, nothing but another mission. Not the miserable monk, that pathetic bandit, _or_ his little friend. I serve Genbu-sama, and no one else. Do what you will, Weaver-sama."_

_The deity nodded his approval, a flicker of a smile on his thin lips. "This game is growing larger than I expected; even more players may become involved before all is finished. Nevertheless, I shall do everything I can to move the pieces into position, just in case there are further complications. For now, though, all we must do is implant the Souleater into that bandit. From then on, Asatenshi, you may manipulate the situation as you see fit."_

_"Implant the Souleater," she repeated, fighting back a shudder at the thought of working in such close proximity with a demon. "I suppose that shall call for another Oath, then. No doubt my sister will attempt to prevent it. Still, I should not have many problems. Possession is one of the simpler spells." The Angel looked at the Weaver with a smile of feigned sadness on her lips. "Mm, this seems almost too simple, Weaver-sama."_

_"Do not be so certain of your predictions, Asatenshi," the Weaver warned. "He will not fall into our hands quite so easily. Like the monk, that bandit has an unusually strong will."_

_The Angel snorted. "His love makes him weak."_

_"Perhaps," the Weaver assented quietly. He glanced back down at his chessboard, frowning at a situation developing in Sairou. "Ah, my eternal game requires my attention. Do you have any questions concerning your role, or shall I inform the Souleater of your cooperation?"_

_Asatenshi stood, bowing regally. "No questions, Weaver-sama. I am prepared to perform your will, as it is also the will of my Master, Genbu-sama." She looked up, eyes hard with determination, but was unable to erase the look of apprehension that lurked within the sparkling emerald orbs. "Tell your Souleater to be ready. I shall soon call him out of the shadows."_


	20. Verse One: Sleepless Beauty

**_Verse One: Sleepless Beauty_**

****

_"Caught by the moonlight, _

_A silent mist, a shimmer in the trees, _

_Oh what a night for dreams_

_A night of destiny."_

_--Akino Arai; "Eternity"--_

The bandit stronghold sat calm and quiet in the late hours of the winter evening, the moon and stars shining their mystic, silver light upon the hideout. Silent and foreboding they stood against the wintry landscape, a symbol of the mountain's mystery and power. Reikaku was a sacred place, though few of the bandits acknowledged or even knew such a thing. It had been watched for centuries by the spirits and guarded for almost as long by a handful of humans, as well as a steel-forged tessen. Few demons had ever accessed the mountainous terrain, and those that had broken the wards did not survive long. They were a forbidden race on the sacred ground, one that had never been allowed passage.

Until now.

Two shapes stirred on the edges of the Reikaku stronghold, both glowing with their own forms of dangerous, emerald magic. One put her hands to her chest, muttering a spell of protection against demons and other creatures of the Shadow Realms, though she feared that her magic would be too weak and too late. Nevertheless, she continued her dirge, even as she felt the strength of her enemy overpower her own frail spells.

The other, much more confident in her actions, raised one arm towards the night sky, a glowing ball of light shining from her fist. She opened herself to the darkness of Jigoku [Hell], calling forth her newest ally. As she felt the shadow that was his spirit swirl around her frame, she began the final step to the demonic process. Her lips moved, and the silence of the night was broken by a female voice uttering the great words of power.

_"Seven Holy Oaths of Strength,_

_And I choose number four..."_

_---_

The high, lilting notes of a flute awoke Koji from a restless sleep. He sat up in bed, glancing around the chamber as if the sound were coming from within the room. The bandit looked down at his floor, and at the young Reikaku member. Had Genji heard it?... no, the boy was still sleeping as soundly as ever, as if the music had never been. The Reikaku co-leader shook his head, putting a hand to his temple to rub away his sleepiness. "Ch, musta been dreamin'..."

Almost as soon as the words exited his mouth the tune began again, the twirling, reedy notes of a song that the bandit had never heard before but wished he could hear forever. The music was altogether beautiful, in the way that the last flowers of the season are magnificent in their sorrowful finality. The co-leader wanted to laugh and cry all at once, for no reason at all. He had never heard music that could so completely and utterly touch your heart.

Koji felt himself unconsciously rising from his bed, determined to find out where the sound was coming from. He had to know who was playing this amazing piece; who could create such a hypnotizing song from such a simple instrument. The bandit slid quickly into a pair of slippers, hugging his arms to his chest in an attempt to keep out the chill of the night, and began the long trek towards the front of the stronghold. That was where it was coming from, he was sure of it.

The notes stopped again for a brief moment, and the co-leader quickened his pace, silently pleading for the musician to begin again. As if at his request, the flute's sorrowful melody drifted back along the breeze, asking him to hurry, if he truly wanted to know the truth. Its song would soon be complete. He did not have much time.

Koji broke into a light jog as he entered the Reikaku main room, heedless of the noise he was making on the wooden floors. No one in the other rooms stirred, however, or even seemed to acknowledge the presence of the music or the lone co-leader. The stronghold, like the bandit, seemed to be held in a trance; as much as it was calling to him, it was lulling the other residents into a deeper slumber, allowing them the rest they needed. No other noise could be heard save the soft pad of the bandit's feet and the sweet, mournful sounds of the lovely music; not even a bird dared break the spell of the evening.

The bandit opened the doors of the stronghold just as the music came to a close. He blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust his eyes to the light of the full moon. Barely noticing the chill that seeped into his thin nightshirt, Reikaku's co-leader slipped out of the main doors and down the path, trying to judge the direction the music had come from. He had to hurry. He couldn't rest until he found that player, that beautiful musician - for, he assured himself, anyone who could play something like that could be nothing less than perfect.

Koji's sharp hazel eyes picked out a figure hiding among the trees that surrounded Reikaku. His slippers crunched lightly against the winter grass as he crept towards the stranger, determined to discover their identity. The person, whoever it was, seemed to be glowing, emanating a mystical emerald light that made them appear almost godly, almost angelic...

Her back was turned towards him, but the bandit co-leader knew the figure immediately. The cascade of raven-blue hair falling to the middle of her back, the perfectly-shaped hips under the simple, flowing robes of lavender that caressed her body... she looked so absolutely magical in the moonlight, with that faint glow of green still encasing her form. Just like the angel her name suggested. Beautiful, beautiful. He grinned, wondering how he could not have guessed it. Hikaru. Of course. Only Hikaru would be able to play such a tune, goddess that she was.

The moon slipped behind a layer of clouds, cloaking the landscape in almost complete darkness. A breeze sprang up from what seemed like nowhere, briefly ruffling Asatenshi's dress before whipping past her and towards the bandit co-leader. Koji shuddered as he felt the black - he had no idea why he thought of it that way - wind tear through his clothing and hair, seeming to penetrate through his skin and straight into his soul. He took a step back, clutching at his arms and wondering why he suddenly felt so, so - he couldn't explain it. Unclean, somehow. And cold. _'Nani...?'_

As he moved, a twig snapped beneath his foot. Hikaru jumped, whirling on her heel and facing the surrounding trees with something nearing panic in her eyes. "H-hai?" she called, a tremor in her gentle voice. "Who... who is it?"

The bandit co-leader blinked, realizing how strange it would look if Hikaru found him spying on her in the trees. Well, better to make his presence known, he decided. He shrugged off the strange feeling he had received after the breeze and stepped out of the underbrush, waving in a friendly, embarrassed manner. "Jus' me, Hikaru-san. Sorry if I scared ya."

The young woman relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief and putting a hand to her chest. "Ah, Koji-san. Thank goodness it's only you. I was worried that one of those Akutsuki members had somehow snuck onto the stronghold's lands..." she shook her head, walking across the clearing in small, dainty steps. "Never mind that, though. What in the world are you doing out here at this hour?"

"Oh, I was..." he hesitated, and for some reason chose not to tell her his true purpose. "I jus' couldn't sleep, s'all. Sometimes when I can't sleep I take a little stroll 'round the grounds, jus' t'clear my mind an' all." By now, the Asatenshi sister was only a foot or so away from him, still bathed in the light from the celestial skies while he stood in the shadows of the forest. Gods, how he longed to close that gap. "How about you? You were glowin' with magic fer a minute, there."

Hikaru frowned, glancing over her shoulder as if searching the trees for some hidden enemy. "I, too, couldn't sleep," she said. "I awoke to a feeling of foreboding, as if some unknown evil were trespassing on Reikaku soil. I was putting up a barrier when you found me." She shook her head, biting her lip in agitation. "There's nothing else I can do now, though. We can only hope that my wards were placed in time."

"In time? Fer what?"

"For what? I shudder to think," she said, voice barely above a whisper. The Asatenshi woman could not seem to meet his eyes.

Koji frowned; he hated seeing her troubled or worried in any way. The bandit crossed the space between them and put a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, if you were stoppin' it, then I'm sure it didn't get through. Yer a pretty strong sorceress, Hikaru-san. An' anyway, if it did, I know you'd be able to handle it."

The young woman offered no response. The co-leader's frown deepened. "Ch! C'mon, Hikaru-san, you really worry too much, y'know that? You gotta learn how t'take things as they come, an' have a little faith in yerself, too." Hardly knowing what he was doing, Koji felt his hand travel from her shoulder down to a much less friendly and much more sensual position on her hip. He took a small step closer, until he could breathe in the sweet scent of her hair. "I have a lotta faith in you, y'know."

Hikaru stiffened under his touch, but said nothing. She turned on her heel so she was facing him, then, before he had a chance to study the perfection of her lips, took a couple of steps backwards. The young woman smiled up at the bandit, cocking her head to one side. "Perhaps Koji-san has _too_ much faith in me, and _I_ am only being realistic."

"That ain't true, yer-"

Asatenshi chuckled, putting a finger to his lips to silence his protests. "It's much too late to argue, Koji-san. And while I doubt them, I do appreciate your words of confidence. Perhaps you're right." She sighed and drew her hand away, pulling it back to her chest. "Even so, it just adds another thing for you and Tasuki to worry about. Maa, first Chichiri, then those Akutsuki members, and now an evil presence? I just bring more and more trouble to you, don't I, Koji-san?"

The co-leader shook his head fiercely. "'Course not, Hikaru-san! I know none-a this is yer fault. In fact, if it _weren't_ fer you, we'd be in even more trouble'n we are now." He ran a hand through his wind-ruffled hair, grinning at the young woman. "But yer right about one thing: it _is_ too late t'argue. Hell, it's too late t'be doin' much of anythin'. How 'bout if we ferget about all these worries fer a while an' try t'get some sleep, na? C'mon, I'll walk ya back."

"Arigatou, Koji-san. I think I'd like that."

The pair turned to go back to the stronghold, but had gotten no more than a few feet when a rustling in the nearby bushes caused them to stop once again. Koji tensed, stepping protectively in front of the Asatenshi woman and drawing a throwing knife from an inner pouch in his shirt. "Who is it? C'mon, show yerself!"

"Oh, put down your little toy," an all-too-familiar voice snapped. "If I had really wanted to kill either of you I could've done it a long time ago."

Hikaru's emerald orbs widened in surprise as Shuu emerged from the surrounding foliage, brushing a few leaves out of her messy hair as she went. The younger Asatenshi woman glared hard at her sister, then flashed the equally surprised bandit a small, sardonic smile. "Don't you _ever_ sleep? Ch, next time I find you out here I really _will_ send a ki-blast your way."

Koji scowled in mock irritation. "What for?"

"For the hell of it. Why else?"

"Sh-Shuu-chan!" Hikaru spluttered, finally finding her voice. "What - what in the _world_ - what are you doing out here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Since when did you become the all-knowing god of my personal business? Maybe I just wanted to take a midnight stroll, like insomniac-boy over here." Shuu put her hands behind her head, walking towards the pair of companions. "Well, as long as you're heading back to bed, I may's well join you. Not the best company, but it's not like I have much of a choice on that matter."

The bandit co-leader's eyebrow twitched, as he suddenly felt extremely irritated with the younger Asatenshi sister - a feeling he was starting to become very familiar with. Not only had she interrupted one of his rare moments of privacy with Hikaru, but she was unwilling to tell of her nighttime motives!? Koji was beginning to get very suspicious of her actions, not to mention sick of her high-and-mighty attitude, and for the first time since he had met her, he let her know it.

"No one's beggin' you t'join us," he snapped. "There're plenty of paths leadin' back t'Reikaku, an' if Hikaru 'n' I are so damn bothersome to ya, then yer welcome t'try yer luck on another trail. Alone."

Shuu froze, and for the tiniest bit of a second she looked like Koji had just slapped her in the face. The Asatenshi woman recovered quickly, however, straightening her shoulders and glaring at the bandit with unabashed disgust. Her jaw tightened, and the Reikaku leader thought she really might ki-blast him "for the hell of it." After a moment of battling for self-control, however, the young woman simply took a step back, hands clenched at her sides. "Fine. I'd rather walk alone than in the company of such a pathetic pair anyway. To hell with the both of you."

"Whatever you say," the bandit replied with the smallest bit of a shrug, just to show how little he cared about her actions.

The younger Asatenshi sister snorted at his response, glaring icy green daggers at the Reikaku co-leader. "You deserve whatever you get," she growled, just loud enough for him to hear. "I can't believe I actually..." But whatever she could not believe would remain unsaid. Shuu raised one arm above her head, waved her hand in the air, and disappeared in a flash of emerald magic.

Koji's anger dissolved as soon as Shuu was out of sight, his conscience getting the better of him as he cursed himself for his thoughtless words. The young Asatenshi sister was irritating at times, but certainly not deserving of his remarks. He really shouldn't have snapped at her, not when she was already receiving so much heat from everyone else. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel better after his outburst, as it had helped him let off some steam that had been building up towards the younger Asatenshi woman... and, a small, guilty part of him admitted, steam towards his frustrations with Hikaru. Speaking of Hikaru...

"Oi, Hikaru-san, I'm sorry about I said that t'yer sister, but I just..." The bandit turned towards the young woman, expecting her to be angry with him, but instead found Asatenshi smiling, looking almost relieved. "Eh? Hikaru-san?"

"Please don't apologize, Koji-san," she said with what seemed like a bit too much cheer. "I was hardly in the mood to deal with my sister either, but I never know exactly how to say something like that. I love her, honestly, I do, but sometimes she can be very annoying, ill-tempered as she is... and after the stress of my magic tonight, I'd much prefer to avoid her."

"Still, I shouldn't've been so harsh. She is yer sister, after all, an' it ain't like I hate her or anythin'..."  
Hikaru shook her head. "I know you don't, Koji-san, and so does Shuu-chan. You aren't the kind of person to be able to truly hate anything. You're too kind for that."

A very silly smile crept onto his lips at her comment; the co-leader rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, heh, um... thanks..."

"No, thank you, Koji-san. You have always handled my sister well, and you did so just then - you were harsh, but I didn't think you were exactly _mean_, you know. I'm terrible at being blunt to others. That's one thing that annoys Nee-san about me." Asatenshi chuckled, keeping pace with the bandit as he began to walk towards the stronghold again. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she likes you _better_, after that outburst!"

The pair continued towards the Reikaku hideout under the full winter moon, laughing and chatting about recent events and happenings among the bandits. In what seemed like no time at all, they were back at the main doors of the stronghold, and Koji had never been unhappier to see the entrance to safety and home. Shuu, much to his pleasure, was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, I suppose this is where I say good night," Hikaru told him with a smile. "I shall see you tomorrow, Koji-san, though considering how late it is maybe I should say I'll see you later today."

The bandit chuckled, leaning up against the frame and trying to stall his farewell as long as possible. He still had something he wanted to ask Hikaru, and he didn't know if he had enough courage built up to ask her just yet. As Asatenshi began to push open the big double doors, however, Koji realized that it didn't matter if he was brave enough to do it or not - it _had_ to be done! He took a breath and put a hand against her arm, stopping her from entering. "Oi, Hikaru-san. I wanted t'ask you a question, if ya've got time."

"All the time in the world," she assented, pausing to look at her older companion. "What is it, Koji-san?"

"Well, I was jus' thinkin' about earlier, how you said all everyone's done since ya got here was have problems t'deal with - Chichiri, or that Akutsuki gang, or whatever. I mean, really, there ain't been hardly any time for relaxin' 'r jus', y'know, havin' a good time."

"You're right," she agreed somewhat wistfully. "But I certainly couldn't desert Chichiri just to have a little fun, like you could never leave the gang during such a tense time."

Koji nodded. "Well, yeah, that's true, but I was thinkin', maybe, when all-a this is cleared up, an' Chichiri's back an' all, maybe... I dunno, maybe we c'd go inta Kakou City, th' town at th' base of th' mountain, 'r somethin'. Jus' t'look around an', y'know, I could show ya some-a the sites. If that sounds good t'you, I mean."

Hikaru's emerald eyes lit up. "Mm!" she said, voice full of enthusiasm. "Hai, Koji-san! I think I'd really like that." The bandit felt his heart swell with pleasure at her answer - he hadn't expected her to agree to a date so quickly! - but found his happiness short-lived. Hikaru continued. "And I'm sure Tasuki and Shuu-chan would enjoy it, don't you agree? Oh, and if Chichiri was better, and feeling up to it, he could come as well - perhaps Genji-kun if he wasn't busy in the kitchen... oh, yes, Koji-san, that would be a real treat!" She blushed suddenly, looking down at her hands. "And, perhaps I could find something to buy for Tasuki... a gift, of some kind... do you think he would like that, Koji-san?"

The bandit felt like someone had just kicked him in the stomach. He struggled to find words, some kind of answer to the Asatenshi woman's questions, but found he was strangely out of air. All he could do was nod weakly, thanking the fates that his face was covered in shadows. He did not want Hikaru to see him right now. He did not think he had enough control over himself to hide his emotions.

Hikaru smiled, giving the bandit's shoulder a light pat as she walked by, opening the door and heading towards her room. "Oyasumi, Koji-san," she said in her usual friendly but uninterested voice.

"H-hai," he murmured, regaining control long enough to force a smile as she walked past. "Oyasumi, Hikaru-san. See ya in the mornin'."

The main doors of Reikaku quietly opened and shut behind the Asatenshi woman, leaving the Reikaku co-leader alone in the night air, cloaked in the shadows of the stronghold. His fists clenched at his sides as he lowered his head, gritting his teeth in some kind of attempt to release his anger and frustration. Just when he thought she was beginning to really notice him, that she was starting to see him as more than a casual friend and companion... just when he thought she would finally return even a fraction of his feelings, she misunderstood his actions once again! And she would bring him up again, bring up the other leader _she_ had grown an attraction to, without even realizing how badly it was tearing at his heart... and he... and he...

"Kuso..." he growled under his breath. One of his hands flew out, hitting the side of the stronghold hard enough to cut his fist. "Dammit all, it just isn't fair!"

_You're right. It isn't._

Koji's head jerked up. He looked around in all directions, trying to seek out the mysterious voice that had spoken those final words. He found no one, though; there was no one in the darkness but himself. The bandit shook his head, pushing open the Reikaku main doors and trudging back to his room. Just his imagination, then. And for a second he had dared to hope that someone was actually agreeing with him.

Deep within the bandit's soul, a hidden voice allowed itself a small, vicious chuckle. This would be easier than it had thought.

---

Hikaru had not been walking down the Reikaku halls long before an emerald mist appeared next to her, gradually melding into the form of her younger sister. They both stopped moving, staring hard into one another's intense green eyes as if trying to discover something within the orbs. After a long moment, they began speaking, mind to mind so as not to wake any of the bandits.

_"Nice try, Nee-san, but your barrier came a little late, and a little too weak."_

_"So nice of you to bring up my failures, as if I could not see them myself.__ That Souleater reeks of evil, I could have sensed his presence from the Spiritual Realm. I never thought you would sink so low."_

_"Now there's the pot calling the kettle black. You hardly have room to speak of lowering yourself."_

_"As you say, Nee-san.__ But you felt pity for him, did you not? He is just an innocent in this game, you know, and now he will be paying the dearest price of all."_

Her voice wavered, and for once she spoke her honest feelings. _"I will not argue with you, on this case. However, my personal opinion means nothing. I follow Genbu-sama's orders. Period. No questions asked."_

_"What a foolish, noble way of looking at things."_

_"No more foolish than your own."_

_"Perhaps not.__ So, then, a new level of this deadly game is beginning soon, correct? I assure you, Nee-san, I will not let them - _any_ of them - be consumed by Fate so easily. If you want to win this stage and that bandit's soul, you will have to fight for it."_

_"Fight?__ My dear Nee-san, there is nothing for me to fight _for_. This stage in our game began and ended long ago, when he had the stupidity to involve himself in our dealings - and fall so hopelessly in love in the process. The new level has not just begun, Nee-san. It has already been decided."_

---

---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: June 30, 2004; 12:09 AM (I really should look into that thing called sleeping…)_

Hao, minna-san! Or, as the Dave Chappelle fan in me would put it: "I'm back, bitches!"

Didja miss me? Goodness knows _I_ missed you, but now I'm finally ready to begin the next part and continue RFS through to the very end… of the Second Movement at least. Yeah, there's another one after this, too. Who knew I'd turn this thing into such an epic? Yeesh… At any rate, the chronicles of the Reikaku bandits have kicked off to an interesting start, so let's begin this Author Chat with the traditional…

**Random Chapter Comments** As I said before, a whole new part of RFS is just now beginning, a part that will (hopefully) leave you questioning everything you ever thought you knew about this strange little world – particularly about our unusual Asatenshi sisters. Sorry, I won't be revealing any identities anytime soon, but there will be hints galore (both ways) to confuse you more than you already are. Enjoy. As always any questions may be directed in reviews or e-mails (you know where to find me!), and even though I can't promise you a straight answer I can promise you some kind of a reply. I love e-mails, so I always try to respond. 

And on a completely random note, fanfiction.net is really irritating me right now, because it has completely screwed up my typical format! Why in God's name can't I just have asterisks and tiltes in this thing? And they won't even let me put my winking smiley-face signature! (Sigh) I leave for three months and the whole place goes crazy. I just don't understand them...

**Answering Reviews **Although you probably forgot your questions, ah-heh. Oh, and a big howdy hi to Otaku-no-miko-san, Shinju-san, and RowenDuo-san! While it's possible that you gave up on me after the three months of absence (not that I'd really blame you ; ), know that I do appreciate your reviews and hope that you come back for the Second Movement, along with all my other veteran readers! Let's all pause for a big group hug, shall we?

_Amaya__-san, on "Where is Gen-chan going?" –_ Well, you'll find out about halfway through this Movement... and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

_Val-chan, on nothing, really –_ Yeah, my dumb creativity took a rather long break, didn't it? But it's finally back, thank goodness, and I think (though every time I say this I jinx myself) it's finally sticking around for a while. And I wish I had HD, but I'm too poor so I just watch KU games in normal definition. Tears.

_To Dragid-san, on Kyokujitsu – _Hee, you stole it from me? I'm honored. Seriously. That's really awesome.

_To Otaku-no-miko-san, on Kouran –_ Yay! Another sympathetic Kouran supporter! I really did enjoy playing with her, you know; it's going to be a little sad that I won't get to do anything with her and Hikou and Houjun and the whole bunch until the Third Movement… but, that's how it goes…

**Quote of the Week **Tactless as it may be, I find it hilarious, so we're stealing one from Chappelle's Show for the week. It's funnier if you've seen the episode; but wow, reading it now, I find that it's still pretty funny even out of context. Heh. Here it is:

"Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?" --Wayne Brady, on "Chappelle's Show"

Until next time, O Loving Readers (and I promise it won't take three months again)!

Your Returning and Ever-Faithful Author,

Dee )


	21. Verse Two: Datte Koi Shitara

_**Verse Two: Datte Koi Shitara**_

_**--Because I'm in Love--**_

_"I want to go falling in love with you; _

_Even a furious brake won't stop this._

_No matter who (tries to) stop me now._

_Since it gets stronger every time I hit the borders of common sense,_

_I'll climb over the wall and speed up; _

_I can't stop lovin' you." _

_--Tomokazu Seki; "Break Through"--_

Koji was awakened roughly from his sleep by somebody knocking on his door. The co-leader opened one hazel eye halfway, surprised to find the sun already shedding light through his window. Strange. He never got up this late...

"Ne, Koji-sama?" the voice from behind the door called. "Rise and shine, Koji-sama!"

The bandit sat up, pushing some of his bangs out of his eyes. "Oi, Genji-kun, y'can come on in. It's yer room too." He always had to tell the young man that, and for some reason it never seemed to sink into his head.

There was a pause, then the door opened with a creak. Genji poked his head around the door, waving one hand cheerfully. "Ohayou, Koji-sama! I'm glad to see you're finally awake, te kanjii!" He frowned, worry creased on his face. "You never sleep in this late. Are you all right? Not sick or anything, are you?"

The co-leader shook his head, still partially asleep. "Nah, nothin' like that. I jus' had trouble sleepin' last night." His heart sunk, remembering the events of the previous evening. "Yeah. I had a lot on my mind."

"That makes sense," Genji agreed, still looking concerned for the older bandit. "Maybe you're thinking too hard about the Akutsuki gang. You should take a break for once, te kanjii." The youth looked over his shoulder, than back at Koji. "Well, breakfast's ready. That's what I came to tell you."

"Oh, that's great. I'm kinda hungry, now that'cha mention it..." Koji sat up completely in his bed, rotating a little to put his feet on the floor, but stopped as a pair of arms gripped his shoulders. He looked up, blinking in surprise as he found Genji's violet eyes staring hard into his own. "Eh, Genji-kun... I gotta get outta bed if I expect t'eat..."

The youth shook his head, leaning in further. "No, no, no, Koji-sama! Staying right here is perfect, I promise you. In fact, it's the best spot for the meal..."

Koji tried to back up further on his bed, finding the situation more than a little uncomfortable, but the young bandit persisted. Finally, the co-leader found himself practically pinned to the wall, Genji leaning over him. "G-Genji-kun, if this is some kind-a joke, you can tell Genrou that I don't find it real fun-"

Without warning, the young bandit dove forward, grabbing Koji's collar and locking lips with the older bandit. Koji, too shocked to react, watched in frozen horror as Genji pulled away, smiling coyly. "You misunderstand, Koji-sama," he whispered, voice a sultry purr. The bandit opened his mouth to argue, but Genji put a finger to his lips and winked. "I - am - your - break - fast... te kanjii..."

"YAH!" Koji punched wildly at the air as he tried to fight his way out of Genji's grasp, but the youth's hold was firm. The co-leader thrashed against the bandit, desperate to pull himself out of the death grip. "Leggo a-me, I ain't like that, dammit!" he cried, wriggling under the fellow bandit until he fell with a thump to the floor. Koji opened his eyes, still feeling something grabbing onto his arms, and found himself staring at his own blankets.

He blinked huge hazel eyes, unwinding the sheets from his arms and breathing a sigh of relief. Just a dream. Thank the gods. He sighed again, though this time for a different reason, and wished the nightly visions weren't so vivid in his mind. The bandit rubbed at his head, sitting up as he did. "Kuso, that was one hell of a nightmare..." he shuddered a little, trying to clear his head of the disturbing images. "Last time I eat salmon b'fore bed, that's fer sure." He sighed, looking upwards as if to ask his own subconscious a question. "You," he accused, "are a twisted, kinky bastard. And really, would it a-been so much trouble fer ya t'make it Hikaru? Hell, just a _woman _woulda been fine, I'd even settle fer Shuu over a g-"

_Knock knock! Knock knock knock knock!_

Koji stiffened, wondering who would be banging at his door. No one usually disturbed him, not unless there was some kind of emergency. "Uh, h'lo?"

"Koji-sama?" Genji's voice came through the wood. "Are you finally awake, te kanjii?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake..." the bandit confirmed, starting to get a funny feeling in his stomach. What if Genji really did?... oh, but no, that was ridiculous, it had just been some kind of stupid dream. And anyway, the youth didn't even think of him like that... did he?

The familiar young face poked its way around the door, frowning a little. "Good to see you up, te kanjii! Gen-sama's been looking for you; the two of you are setting up night watches today, right? Isn't that right, Koji-sama?"

"Oh, crap! Yer right!" the co-leader winced, slapping his own forehead. "Stupid me, I fergot all about that." He sighed, stepping out of bed and shivering a little as his feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor. "Genrou's gonna gimme hell about that, 'specially since it was my idea."

Genji frowned. "It's not your fault you've been too worried about the stronghold to sleep, Koji-sama. And I told Gen-sama that too, that sometimes I hear you at night pacing the room 'cause you can't sleep 'cause of those Akutsuki guys, and Gen-sama said he does the same thing, so he won't blame you for sleeping in, te kanjii!" He smiled, trying to cheer his older friend up. "If you're not feeling good, I can tell Gen-sama to meet you in here. And if you want, I can bring you breakfast, and-"

Koji, only half-dressed, practically flew past the young bandit, screaming as he did: "I ain't hungry!"

---

Tasuki scratched his head, watching the mass of bandits that crowded around him, waiting to hear his announcement. Of course, they had been waiting for about ten minutes, and by the murmured voices and shifting feet, they were starting to get a little impatient. Tasuki swore under his breath, glancing over his shoulder for someone who was not there. "Where _is_ that partner a-mine...?" he muttered to himself.

"What's this all about, Ahou?" Shuu grumbled, tossing her half-combed hair out of her face. "I was up late last night. I don't have time to stand around here and listen to you babble."

"This ain't babble, Gaki, this is important!" he snapped back, turning his head just enough so he could stare her in the eyes. "An' as soon as Koji shows up we c'n get it underway, but until then jus' keep yer whinin' mouth shut!"

"You hardly have room to talk!" she retorted, both hands stubbornly placed on her hips. "You get one measly set of chores and you go off on a royal bitching."

Tasuki stepped closer to the sister, until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "You _invented_ the royal bitchin', ya lazyass freeloader."

"Freeloader?! Who do you think made your comatose little friend his _breakfast_?!"

"Yah, a blind rat coulda done a better job at cookin'!"

"Oh, says the moron who burns _steamed rice_!"

"I'm a damn fine cook I'll have you know, jus' 'cause Genji-kun does all the work doesn't mean-"

"Oh, for Suzaku's sake, shaddup already, will ya?!" a voice from behind the pair cried. "It's too early in th' mornin' t'be killin' each other." Both brawlers whirled, watching as a bedraggled Koji pushed through a small crowd of bandits, slipping his headband on around his ears and brushing his messy hair away from his face. He stepped in between the pair, shaking his head in resignation. "Can't leave ya alone fer a minute. Yer worse'n a married couple."

"_Married_-?!" they both shrieked indignantly. "Of all the-"

Genji and Hikaru materialized out of the group, grabbing Shuu's arms and dragging her quite forcefully back into the general masses. The older Asatenshi sister flashed a pained smile at the bandit leaders; Koji noted that she looked more exhausted than usual, probably from her bout of magic the night before. Nevertheless, she was still as beautiful as ever. "Sorry for the interruption, Tasuki. Please continue."

Tasuki turned, glaring at his friend. "Ch, 's about time you showed up! Never woulda been a fight if we'd started this thing on time!" Koji stared at him for several seconds, then shook his head, sighed, and walked back towards the center of the group. The Reikaku leader followed, holding out his hands in innocence. "What? What? Hey, she _started _it, y'know."

"Someday," the co-leader shot over his shoulder, a small smile on his face, "I'm really gonna teach you about that delicacy thing, Genrou. Unfortunately now ain't the time, 'cause as you pointed out we've got a meetin' t'start." He turned all the way, bringing his head closer to the leader and talking quietly. "You said anythin' about it yet?"

"Nah, I figgered you oughta start it," Tasuki explained. "Yer better with words 'n' technical details'n I am."

"Liar," Koji shot back. "You jus' don't wanna be on the receivin' end when th' boys find out what we're makin' 'em do." The seishi leader looked away innocently. His friend scowled. "How come I always gotta be the bad guy?"

"It comes naturally?" Tasuki suggested with a grin.

Koji sighed and shoved his friend out of the way, stepping onto a nearby chair and holding up his hands for silence. Funny, he thought, how no matter how old you got you always quieted down at the sight of an outstretched arm. That was one thing their teachers had imbedded into all the bandits' heads, at least. Now if only they'd gotten them to learn how to read or write...

"I'm sure yer all wonderin' what me 'n' Genrou're doin', draggin' ya all in here," the co-leader began, flashing a friendly, though obviously nervous, smile at his comrades. "Well, truth be told, it has t'do with that Akutsuki gang that's been givin' us hell..." Koji paused while several of the bandits boo'd the rival group loudly. "Exactly," he agreed. "So anyway, Genrou 'n' I are still workin' on some plans, but fer th' moment..."

"We gonna go out an' kick some ass, Aniki?" one of the veteran bandits inquired, eyes alight. His comment was greeted with raucous cheers and several expletive calls. It had been a few years since the bandits had fought a real fight, and even longer since they had battled a rival gang. Koji winced, wondering how in the world he could possibly break the much less exciting news to them.

"No, no, sorry guys, nothin' that interestin'," he explained, waving a hand to calm the group down again. "We're still workin' out th' details fer a true attack - hell, we don't even know where their hideout is-"

"Oh, for Suzaku's sake," Shuu snapped from her spot near the front of the group, her emerald eyes glaring daggers at the co-leader. "Quit cringing and beating around the bush and tell us your damn news!"

Koji ignored her, brushing off her words as typical Shuu-ness. She was probably still angry about the previous night. He would have to apologize for that... eventually. For now, however... "We're settin' up night watches!" he announced in one short sentence, continuing even as the unhappy groans filled the room. "So everyone needs t'get their names written down an' we'll do it th' way we always do it." He frowned, noticing many irritated looks. "Hey, c'mon guys, y'think I'm happy with it either? But we gotta do this if we wanna keep the stronghold safe, otherwise, well..."

"Otherwise those Akutsuki bastards'll wipe th' walls with us!" Tasuki interrupted, clapping a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, sure, watches suck an' we all know it, but this is just temporary, 'till we c'n figure out where those jerks're hidin'! Then we'll march right into their hideout an'..." the Reikaku leader made a strangling motion with his free hand, flashing a cocky grin and earning cheers from the bandits. Once the calls died down, he went on. "But 'till that time comes we gotta stay alert, or they'll think we're chickens 'n' start marchin' onta our land at all hours! Now, are we gonna let 'em do that?"

"IYA!" was the loud reply.

"That's what I like t'hear!" he shouted, clenching a fist. "So let's get this over with an' get on with our day!"

As cheers filled the dining room for the bandit's impromptu speech, Tasuki chuckled and backed down. Koji flashed him a crooked grin, whispering in his ear: "Y'always wind up bein' the hero, doncha?"

"It comes naturally," he repeated with a shrug, walking back to the front of the dining room to begin the simple Reikaku "draw 'n' pick" ceremony.

The bandits scribbled their names down on separate pieces of paper, then one by one tossed them into the cooking pot Genji had supplied for the task. Koji flashed Hikaru a friendly smile as she slipped hers in among the others, hoping to score a watch with the young woman. Shuu glared at him as she threw her own paper into mix, but made no comment. The co-leader suspected that she knew exactly what he wanted to get out of this drawing, and probably didn't approve. Well, what did that matter, he reminded himself. Shuu certainly wasn't the god of his life. Strange, that he would even be thinking about her opinion. Maybe he still felt guilty about the night before - yes, that was probably it.

"Okay, anyone still need t'put theirs in?" Tasuki called above the general murmur of the ground. After a couple of seconds, the leader nodded. "All right, then! Time t'get th' drawin' underway. I'll start pullin' names..." the seishi dove in with one arm, shoving through the papers until he grabbed a couple of random ones. He pulled them up, reading the names out loud: "Tadaji 'n' Soshu, first watch at th' North side." Koji hurriedly scrawled the announcement down. Tasuki reached back in, snatching at another two and barking out the pair of names. "Akira 'n' Daiichi, second watch at th' North side..."

And on down the list the Reikaku leader went, some pairings getting cheers and others muffled groans, but thankfully no complaints were made. The bandits knew the unbiased system was the fairest way to determine watches, and they respected their leaders enough not to argue. Koji stood nearby, tension easy to see as he wrote down all the watches and prayed to be paired with Hikaru. If they were able to spend every evening alone, even if it was only for an hour or so, then surely they'd be able to...

"Koji!" Tasuki called out, causing the co-leader to jerk his head up. He was about to ask what the problem was, but realized that Reikaku's leader was just calling the western side's second watch. He cursed his luck at being stuck with a second watch - those were always the most tedious - and grabbed his pen, waiting to hear the next name. Tasuki winced, shooting his friend a sympathetic look. "Sorry, pal," he mouthed, then said loudly, for all to hear: "Koji 'n' Shuu!"

The co-leader's quill pen snapped against the paper; he looked up, blinking several times and trying to believe what he had just heard. That had to be impossible. There was no way - absolutely _no way_, that out of all the bandits on the mountain, he had actually been paired up with _her_...

Shuu melded out of the crowd, arms crossed in their customary position over her chest. "Of all the shitty luck. Thirty-five bandits in this damn hideout, and I get paired with the Lovesick Idiot? Just wonderful."

Koji scowled, coming to his own defense. "I'm not exactly jumpin' fer joy either, y'know, but y'don't gotta make it sound like it's the end-a the world."

"Oi, Koji, you listenin' over there?" Tasuki called over his shoulder. "I jus' said Yachiki 'n' Miki got third watch t'gether."

"Huh? Oh, all right! Sorry Genrou!" the co-leader shouted back, hurriedly scribbling the names down. "Anyone else I miss?"

"Nah, but pay attention over there, all right? I wanna get through this fast so we c'n go outside fer a li'l while. It's a pretty nice day y'know." The seishi grinned, grabbing at a couple other names. "You c'n complain about yer rotten luck later, poor guy. Nothin' like havin' the watch from hell with Satan herself."

"Would you like to _repeat_ that, Ahou?!" Shuu snapped, body flaring with emerald power.

Tasuki ignored her and unwrinkled the next two papers. He grinned down at Genji, then called: "Genji 'n' Hikaru, last watch on th' west side!" Several of the bandits glared jealously at the youth, but he didn't seem very pleased. He managed a weak smile at Hikaru, then turned his eyes longingly towards Koji. Thankfully, the co-leader was too busy writing down names to notice the glance.

"Well, you can count yourself lucky there," Shuu, who was still standing near the older bandit, remarked. "Genji-kun's the last person on this mountain who would ever throw a move on my sister. He's way too busy chasing after you."

"Ha, ha," the co-leader drawled sarcastically, though silently he _was_ thanking the gods for that bit of a blessing. Shuu did have a point: Genji was one of the very few Reikaku members who showed almost no interest in the Asatenshi sister. Not that that was because he was interested in _male_ bandits, Koji firmly told himself, trying not to think of his nightmare experiences with the youth...

Tasuki clapped his hands together, jerking the co-leader once more out of his reverie. "Man, am I glad that's over with! Now, how 'bout we all head outside t'the trainin' rings an' have some competitions, eh? A little fresh air 'n' some ass-whoopin's sound like a good way t'spend an afternoon!"

The suggestion was greeted with raucous applause from the other bandits, and the group started to file out of the stronghold. Shuu caught up with her sister and joined her in the march for the door, but Koji held back a little, as did Genji and Tasuki. The Reikaku leader slid up next to his friend, clapping a hand on his shoulder in sympathy. "Tough luck, gettin' stuck with that li'l brat." He winked at the co-leader, flashing a devilish grin. "Y'know, if ya want me t'pull some strings, I c'd prob'ly get you 'n' Genji-kun t'switch watches..."

Koji shook his head, though it took a lot of his will power to do it. "Nah, that's all right Genrou. We invented th' system t'make things fair, an' just 'cause I'm co-leader don't mean I get special privileges. I'll stick with Shuu," he managed a weak grin, "an' who knows? Maybe a couple-a nights with this charmin' guy'll turn her into a real sweetheart."

Tasuki laughed. "I don't think a couple-a nights with _Suzaku _c'd turn her inta anythin' but what she is: a smartass brat." He turned, noticing that Genji was hovering just behind him. "Ah, Genji-kun, somethin' wrong? Don't tell me yer unhappy with gettin' placed with Hikaru - Koji here'd prob'ly kill ya for it."

The young bandit, fists clenched in front of him, shook his head fiercely. "Oh, no, that's not it at all Gen-sama! Actually I had a question to ask, te kanjii!" He smiled, holding up the cooking pot that had been used for the drawing. "I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted me to make a big something for dinner, or if a soup would be all right, te kanjii!"

The leader frowned, shaking his head. "Ah, no way yer weaselin' outta yer duties, Genji-kun. Yer gonna make th' fanciest meal y'can fer dinner, _an'_ yer gonna hand-feed it t'each an' every one of us." The younger bandit's face fell, and his lower lip quivered with the threat of tears. Tasuki chuckled, ruffling his hair teasingly. "Jus' kiddin', Genji-kun. I know ya wanna go out there an' kick some-a th' older members' asses, an' there ain't no way I'd miss seein' that. Jus' throw a meal t'gether at th' last minute, I bet it'll taste great."

Genji nodded, clenching his fists once again. "H-hai, Gen-sama! Domo arigatou, te kanjii!" The youth practically flew out of the stronghold, crying as he did: "I'll make Gen-sama proud by winning a sword tournament, and I'll make Koji-sama proud by beating everyone in archery, and then I'll make them both proud by making the best meal in the world, te kanjii!"

Koji shook his head once the youth was out of sight, laughing as he did. "I never know about that kid - he'll either make a great leader, or a great housewife."

"Funny. Hakurou used t'say that about you, too," Tasuki remarked with a grin. He jerked his head towards the open doorway. "Whadda ya say we join 'em, na? It's no fun showin' off if ya can't do it in front-a th' leaders."

---

Hikaru gave a shout of surprise as Genji rolled away from Ken's sword swipe, popping up behind the older member and slashing out with his bokken [wooden practice sword]. The older bandit brought his weapon around to block the downward swipe, only to discover that the blade was no longer above him but _below_ him; with a quick twist of his wrist, Genji brought his sword back up and crashed it against Ken's hand. Swearing violently, the man dropped his sword, giving the younger bandit just enough time to twirl his weapon up and place it against Ken's neck. Genji, a completely different person on the battlefield, flashed a dangerous, almost arrogant grin. "Looks like I win again, Ken-san."

The older man held up both arms, smiling his ever-present smile. "Don't suppose we could go for best four out of five, eh?" The remark earned a scattered chuckle through the ring, as well as several cheers for the cook's fighting skills. Koji and Tasuki shouted with the rest, both bragging shamelessly about the youth's improved skills.

"I told ya there was more ta him than just good food!"

"Haha, he gets any better an' I'll have t'retire 'n' let _him_ take over!"

Genji, back to his normal self now that the fight was over, blushed a bright shade of red and tried to wave off the compliments. "Oh, please, Koji-sama, Gen-sama, I'm not all that great! Really, really I'm not, te kanjii! And anyway, the only reason I've been able to win is because of the wonderful teachings the two of you have given me! I learned everything I know from you, and you could beat me easily, te kanjii!"

This remark earned a few catcalls from around the ring, particularly members of the gang encouraging one of the leaders to test their luck on the end of Genji's blade. Koji finally succumbed to the jeers, nodding towards Tasuki as if to say: "I'll take this one." He stepped forward to the sound of much cheering, nodding towards the younger bandit and flashing a cocky smile. "Okay, fair enough: they wanna see a real battle so we may's well give 'em one. What kinda weapons, Genji-kun - long distance, hand-t'-hand, or weapons?"

Genji blushed even brighter, embarrassed at the idea of fighting his rival but also endlessly pleased with the prospect. "I'd never have a chance against you in long-distance, Koji-sama, you know that, plus I'm way too small to compete in hand-to-hand." He leveled his bokken, violet eyes flashing. "So let's make it weapons, dagger versus sword. And no holding back."

"No holdin' back," Koji repeated, voice taking on a more serious tone. "Remember that you said that, so whatever happens after this is yer own fault."

Ken tossed the older bandit a pair of blunted daggers; the co-leader caught them easily, whirling to face his younger comrade. He tightened his jaw; friend or not, he wasn't about to get beaten by the younger Reikaku member. Only Tasuki was allowed to beat him, as far as the bandit pecking order went, and even _that_ was a loss he wouldn't take easily. Koji hated to lose.

With a sharp cry, Genji charged his mentor, sword held back at his ear. Koji had expected that; the youth _had_ been taught swordsmanship by Tasuki, after all, and Tasuki always took the offensive. The co-leader smiled, sidestepping the brash attack and turning to face the youth once again. "Careful," he warned, "I practiced with Genrou most-a my life - I know how t'fight against speed."

Genji pulled back this time, leveling his sword so the hilt was at his pelvis, pointed upwards. He was waiting for Koji to make the next move, the co-leader realized. That was smart, and a bit unexpected - Tasuki probably would have attacked again. Koji dove forward with one dagger, allowing Genji to block the seeking blade while his other made a rough uppercut. The youth brought his sword forward just in time, taking a step back at the ferocity of the attack. He recovered quickly, lashing out with his own blade and forcing Koji to jump backwards. A ripple went through the crowd: their co-leader had lost ground against Genji!

The older bandit ignored the sounds of the group; backing up never, _ever_ meant you were losing. He put on a quick burst of speed, lunging out with his left dagger at the side of the youth's head at the same time he brought the other blade up towards his heart. Genji ducked the left blade and blocked the right, crouching and reaching out in an attempt to kick Koji's feet out from under him. The co-leader hopped backwards, but before Genji could regain his footing he was on him again, this time striking with his right blade alone. The young bandit ducked the blow. Perfect.

Koji, anticipating the dodge, rotated sharply on his right foot, catching Genji's sword hand with one of his daggers. The youth winced, taking several steps back in an attempt to regroup, but the co-leader was not about to give him that opportunity. He dropped his right dagger and, grabbing the younger bandit's wrist in his hand, gave it a sharp twist. Genji yelped in pain, still holding his sword but unable to stop the second dagger from flying forward, stopping just a hairsbreadth from a point between his eyes.

The ring was silent for several long seconds as the two bandits stood, locked in their final position, breathing heavily. After a moment, Koji grinned, stepping back and dropping his younger friend's wrist. "Nicely done, Genji-kun." Cocking his remaining dagger so it faced down and placing his arms by his sides, the co-leader gave a formal bow to his opponent, going a bit deeper than custom demanded. The bandits, who had not missed the gesture, burst into applause at the silent compliment their youngest had received.

Koji glanced up through his bangs, biting back a laugh at the look of euphoria on the blushing bandit's face. Yes, Genji _definitely_ reminded him of a younger, bubblier him. The youth returned the bow, though much deeper and much clumsier, babbling a few incoherent words before finally managing to spit out a simple: "Arigatou, Koji-sama! Arigatou!"

The co-leader straightened, smiling at the youth with mixed feelings of pride for his own performance and pride for his young friend. It had been a tough fight on both sides, and the older bandit was pleased with his decisive, if not hard-fought, victory. Nevertheless, he felt that the youth had really won the battle: he had known him to be talented, but Genji had shown more ability than Koji could remember ever seeing from a kid of nineteen, _including_ himself.

Tasuki came over, clapping Genji across the back and congratulating him on the lost battle. "Hot damn!" he declared, grinning proudly at his young protégé. "If th' rest of ya are half as talented as this guy, those Akutsuki bastards don't stand a snowball's chance in hell-a beatin' us!" This remark drew further cheers from the bandits crowding around the ring.

Koji smiled, wondering when he had last seen them as a whole so happy. New Year's Eve, maybe, but the festivities had been cut so short it was hard to count that. The bandit's eyes trailed across the group, pleased to see so many smiling, happy faces. Reikaku had been through some hard times recently, and it was good to see the bandits enjoying themselves for once. Hikaru cheered just as loudly as the rest, the co-leader noticed with a flare of joy. Even Shuu had a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, though she looked to be fighting hard with the emotion. Well, good. Maybe she was finally starting to see that Reikaku wasn't so disgusting after all.

"Okay, so who's up?" Tasuki asked, glancing around to see which bandits would step forward for the next competition. "I know it'll be hard t'top that last match, but I bet there's someone willin' to try. C'mon, any takers?"

"What about having you and Koji-san fight?" Ken asked from the sidelines, an amused smile playing on his cheerful lips. "I'm sure _that_ would be a battle to top all battles, don't you agree, Leader?"

Tasuki blinked at the remark. "Uh, actually, Ken, Koji 'n' I ain't big inta challengin' each other. Yer new here, so you wouldn't know about that, but we don't really wanna hog the spotlight, y'see."

"Ah, come on, Leader," Ken insisted, putting an arm around the taller bandit's shoulder. "The boys are finally starting to enjoy themselves - you wouldn't deprive us of a small match between our great leaders, would you?" He nodded towards Genji, who had retreated to the sidelines to receive praise from the other bandits. "Ne, Genji-kun, how would you like to see these two battle? That'd be something, wouldn't it?"

The youth looked up, looking at first Tasuki, then at Koji. He smiled apologetically at the pair, nodding in agreement. "Ano, that would be really really really great, Ken-san. But if they don't want to do it then I guess that's okay too, te kanjii!"

"Would you deny the young cook a chance at seeing his mentors battle?" Ken asked, putting on a mournful face. "Especially after he was so impressive, whipping me _and_ holding his own against Koji-san."

"It's nothin' personal," Tasuki explained, still trying to fight off the persuading tone in the young man's voice. It was surprisingly hard to say "no" to that voice. "Koji 'n' I jus' decided it a while ago, back when Hakurou made me th' leader, that we wouldn't get inta any-a those 'anythin' you can do, I can do better' phases. Its better fer th' stronghold _an'_ our prides if we work t'gether instead-a tryin' to beat each other."

Koji opened his mouth, about to agree with his bandit friend, when a strangely compelling voice - presumably one of the bandits - asked: _Why not?_

"Yeah, why not?" he echoed aloud, hardly aware that the words had exited his mouth.

The Reikaku leader's head jerked up, whirling in Koji's direction with a mixed look of surprise and disbelief in his amber orbs. "Eh? Koji, did I hear you right? Didja jus' say..."

"Sure I did. After all, the bandits deserve t'see a match between their leaders, 'specially with all the things that've been goin' on recently," Koji justified, while at the same time questioning his own motives. What the hell had possessed him to immediately agree with them, whoever "they" were? "Besides, with this Akutsuki gang always hoverin' nearby, we need t'be ready t'face anythin', an' the only person I know who c'd really get me prepared for a hard fight is you."

_'And_,_'_ a small, guilty part of him added, _'if I win, it'll prove that Genrou ain't so hot, an' maybe Hikaru'll start lookin' at me instead-a at him all the time.'_

Tasuki shifted feet, uncomfortable with the idea of battling his best friend. The two of them were insanely competitive, and hated losing above just about everything else. They had decided a long time ago that if they continued to fight each other, neither would ever be satisfied and they'd wind up hurting the stronghold and their fellow bandits in the process. It was _better_ this way. "Well, yeah, but..."

_Scared?_

"Scared, Genrou?" Koji asked with a teasing grin. "Worried that ya might actually get shown up?" He laughed, tossing his hair melodramatically out of his face. "I know it's kinda frightenin', havin' t'go up against a stud like me, but I'm sure ya'll be able to handle it."

The Reikaku leader scowled, a spark of competitive fire lighting in his eyes. "Scared? Ch, I ain't scared-a nothin', I jus' figgered ya didn't wanna get yer ass kicked, s'all." He stepped into the challenger's ring, much to the glee of the other bandits. Finally, their two leaders would have a real battle! Tasuki nodded towards the practice swords lined up against the wall of the hideout, asking the question even though he already knew the answer. "Should we waste our time lettin' you beat me in long distance an' me beat you in hand-t'-hand, or just skip right t'weapons?"

"Right t'weapons sounds good t'me," Koji agreed, still holding the twin practice daggers that had defeated Genji.

Tasuki walked quickly over to the wall, pulling off a long, smooth bokken. He hefted the weight between his hands, then nodded, gripping the hilt and turning to face his friend. Both bandits stood in relaxed positions, smiling good-naturedly at the thought of once again battling their long-time companions, but there was a fire in both sets of eyes. This would not be a friendly match by any means.

Hikaru smiled, cupping her hands around her mouth and calling out to the pair. "Ganbare yo [Good luck], Tasuki, Koji-san!" She turned to Shuu, remarking as she did, "It really doesn't matter who wins, you know. This will certainly be a fantastic battle, regardless of what happens."

"You're right, it doesn't matter," her sister agreed, tone unreadable. Her eyes held a strange gleam in them - anticipation, or dread? The bandits' cheering drowned the woman's voice out, so even the other Asatenshi could barely hear her. "If Ahou wins, that bandit will just be further provoked. And if _he_ wins, it'll make him even more certain of his superiority over his friend. Either way, that Souleater gains ground."

The elder sister frowned at her sibling. "Oh Nee-san, must everything somehow affect our war? Can't _anything_ just be enjoyed?"

Shuu matched her scowl for scowl, though she never met her eyes as she replied: "If you can afford to think that, then you've already lost 'our war.'"

Hikaru did not have a chance to answer, for at that moment a hail of arrows sailed over the barrier wall that surrounded the training ring, raining shafts of death upon the unprepared group. Shuu threw up a shield, saving her, Hikaru and a handful of nearby bandits from the peppering, but the others were forced to duck for cover or be struck where they stood. Koji and Tasuki flung themselves to the ground, rolling out of the way of the main force of the blast. The seishi leader jumped up, plucking an arrow from his sleeve. "Dammit!" he swore, snapping the shaft contemptuously. "Can't those bastards leave us alone for _one_ damn day?!"

"Na, Genrou!" Koji cried, springing to his feet and jerking his head towards the nearest exit. "Get yer tessen ready. Maybe we c'n still catch 'em!" The co-leader pulled a pair of throwing knives from his jacket, holding them lightly in his hands and sprinting for the door. Tasuki followed shortly, and within seconds the pair was out of the stronghold and racing across the Reikaku grounds.

The seishi bandit looked forward, scowling at the landscape completely empty of life. He slid to a halt after a moment, Koji following a few meters behind the exceptional sprinter. "Kuso," he swore. "How th' hell'd they get outta here so fast? We shoulda been able t'catch 'em, 'specially me with my speed..."

"Magic," a voice said behind them. Both bandits whirled, turning to face a worried Hikaru. The pretty young woman was peering deep into the surrounding trees, as if searching for something neither bandit could see. She bit her lip, anxiety shining in her emerald eyes. "There must be a shugenja [magic-wielder] among their ranks... that's the only way they could have possibly gotten past my barrier without anyone noticing... and the only way they could have escaped so quickly. Some kind of portal... there!"

She stalked hurriedly across the grass, touching at the hollow of a tree. The Asatenshi sister laid a hand against the indented wood, whispering a quick incantation. The spot flared green for a brief moment, then a bright, shimmering crimson, before disappearing entirely. Hikaru nodded, taking a step back from the tree. "Yappari [As I thought]," she murmured quietly. "There's some powerful black magic at work. Those Akutsuki [Demon-Moon] members truly live up to their name."

"No kiddin'," Tasuki grumbled, walking up to the sister and touching the tree hollow. He shivered, still feeling the traces of dark magic coursing through the wood. "Any way we c'n seal this particular spot up?"

"No reason to," Koji interrupted, still standing back from the pair and looking off into the forest, apparently deep in thought. "I dunno much about magic, but I do know a thing'r two about battle tactics. An' they won't attack from th' same place twice. They're too smart fer that." He paused, narrowing his eyes a little. "Too smart fer some half-assed watches t'stop 'em, either," he whispered. The co-leader looked back up at his friend, hazel orbs hard with determination. "Looks like we're gonna have t'hold that battle of ours off fer a while, Genrou. We've got a lotta work t'do."

---

Five wounded. Five. Sure, none had been killed, but who was to say they'd be so lucky next time? Five wounded, and one severely – without Hikaru's magic it was unlikely that he would have survived – with the others out of action for at least a few days. Five of _his_ bandits, _his_ people, _his_ community, all hurt because of _his_ decisions. He knew he should have done more than just post night watches, but Koji had been cautious, and Tasuki had gone against his instincts. Why hadn't he listened to that gut feeling?!

Next time it would be different. Yes. Next time he'd be ready, they'd be ready. The only way he was going to have any more bandits injured was in real combat, fighting a real enemy. No more of those sneak attacks. He was so damn sick of those sneak attacks.

The first thing to do, Tasuki decided as he paced his room, was to find out just where these Akutsuki bandits lived. That way Reikaku could hit _them_ on _their_ turf, instead of the other way around. And then...

_Five_ wounded...

The bandit leader shook his head and focused on the current problem. Right. Go on a scouting mission of sorts. Reconnaissance. Find the Akutsuki hideout from there...

..._His_ bandits hurt in a surprise attack...

...From there they could start learning more about their new rivals. Know your enemy even better than yourself. Hakurou had said that. Tasuki knew he needed to live by it.

...Hakurou never would've let this happen...

Tasuki kicked at his bed in frustration, swearing violently. It was no good. He just couldn't plan with the weight of the recent incidents on his mind. Reikaku was his home, his life, his soul, and everything that happened to its residents he took not only as a personal insult on him, but also on his leadership abilities. More than anything, it made him question his right to even _hold_ the title of "leader." It shouldn't have, he knew that. He always told himself that. So did Koji. But it never helped. It never knocked aside that tiny speck of doubt lurking in the back of his mind – because of course, how could he properly lead a gang when he couldn't even control...

No. Stop. None of that. There was no time for that. He had to focus. On the here and now. Not on the past, not on those questions. The Akutsuki gang was his top concern. He didn't have time for doubts.

But...

Tasuki sighed. Still no good. He needed someone to talk to, he realized, someone he could rant to so he could get some of this uncertainty off his chest. He wished it could be Koji, but that never worked in these situations. Koji was always so precise, so matter of fact. "Okay, here's the problem, now here's how we fix it." Normally Tasuki loved that quality about his friend, but that wasn't what he needed right now. He needed someone who would sit back and listen to him complain, curse and worry, then tell him what he needed to hear. Not necessarily an answer or solution, but the honest truth.

What he needed, he thought, glancing down at the comatose monk, was a Chichiri.

_Knock knock!_

The bandit jumped, startled out of his reverie by the sound of someone tapping at his door. Tasuki frowned, hardly in the mood for company, but worried that the stronghold was in trouble. Professional needs over personal, he reminded himself with a silent curse. "Uh, who is it?"

The door opened a crack, and a slightly bedraggled head of raven-blue hair poked its way around the door. "Tasuki? Sorry to bother you, but is it all right if I come in?"

Glancing from Hikaru's face to her hands, which held a bowl of steaming broth, Tasuki understood her purpose and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead," he consented, waving a hand towards Chichiri. "Jus' try t'hurry up if y'can. I ain't really in the mood fer company."

The young woman, polite as ever, bobbed a short bow and flashed a tired smile at the leader. "Right, I understand. After a day like this I'm sure you just want to collapse into bed and sleep. I won't take long."

"That ain't exactly my reason fer wantin' t'be alone..." Tasuki muttered, biting his lip as soon as the words came out. He hadn't wanted to involve Hikaru in his problems, and now she was sure to know something was wrong.

"Mm? Something else you need to sort out?" she queried, glancing up through her bangs to gaze with concern at the seishi bandit. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, it's not... well..." he looked away, silently debating his next move. Hikaru _had _offered her help numerous times, and always seemed willing to do anything she could for the bandit. She had a good, sensible head on her shoulders, a lot like Koji, but she also had a thoughtful, contemplative side that relied more on emotions, a lot like Chichiri. Besides, she was a woman. Women _had _to understand problems of the heart. "Look," he finally said, scowling to mask his gratefulness at finding a helpful, listening ear. "If I tell ya, ya won't go blabbin' t'everyone, will ya? I got enough problems as it is."

The Asatenshi woman's eyes lit up. She shook her head, smiling wide. "Of course not, Tasuki, whatever you say in this room will always stay in this room!"

"Why're you smilin' so big, huh?" he asked, unable to keep suspicion out of his voice. It would be just like a woman, a small part of him growled, to laugh about a guy bearing their soul. Already he was wondering if this was really such a good idea.

The smile didn't disappear; if anything, it grew a little. "Because," she explained, blushing a tiny bit, "because I always hoped that you'd talk to me when you had troubles, and now you finally have, and I'm very happy that you trust me enough to do that. And because of that, I also promise to help you as best as I possibly can." She grinned, poking his nose teasingly. "You're a lot cuter when you smile, after all."

The bandit jerked back, surprised by the unexpected touch. "I didn't ask fer ya t'flirt with me," he grumbled, but was surprised to find a tiny grin twitching at the corner of his mouth. Stranger still was the growing sense of... of something, something unusual but hauntingly familiar, something that made him feel both utterly confused and completely sure of himself... something both happy and troublesome rising up in his chest. He couldn't explain it just yet, couldn't understand what it implied or what difficulties it might bring, but suddenly the thought of telling Hikaru his problems didn't seem like such a risky one after all. In fact, it seemed almost... almost natural. Almost right.

"Okay," he said, laying back on his bed and allowing the young woman to take a seat beside him. "Here's the deal..."

---

Koji was exhausted. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this tired. The bandit had spent the better part of the afternoon aiding Tasuki, Hikaru, Shuu and a handful of Reikaku members with the injured bandits from the afternoon's attack; and when running supplies to and fro was the limit of your medical knowledge, you quickly found out just how fast you could move halfway across the stronghold with a bundle of bandages in your arms. Consequently, you also found out just what sort of shape you were in, and how long it took you to deliver salve until you collapsed.

The co-leader would have liked nothing better than to flop into his bed and mentally prepare for the next day – no doubt Tasuki would have some kind of battle plan ready – but there were other tasks at hand. Namely, apologizing to Shuu for the previous night, a job Koji had been dreading all day.

As he trudged his way down the hall towards the Asatenshi woman's room, the bandit tried to remind himself exactly _why_ he was wasting his time trying to make up with the disagreeable sister. There were two reasons, really, and he had already decided that only one of them really made any sense. Since he and Shuu were on watch together, it would be best for them to get along. It would do the stronghold no good if its defense team tried to kill each other, he reminded himself as he neared Shuu's room.

That was logic, and Koji could handle the idea of apologizing as long as it depended on logic. But his main reason, and the one he _really_ didn't want to think about, was the one that relied a lot less on logic and more on emotion, something he had been following more and more recently, and something that never failed to get him into trouble.

The truth was, he probably would have apologized to Shuu about his rebuttal even if she hadn't become his watch partner. The co-leader preferred to avoid gaining enemies at all costs, and for some reason he was even more loathe having Shuu as that enemy. There was something about the sister, although he hated to admit it, which appealed to him enormously. Something about her attitude, her position, and that intriguing parable she had told him, so long ago, that reminded the bandit of... well, it reminded him of himself. Koji sensed a kindred spirit somewhere in the Asatenshi sister, and he knew that if he could just get on decent terms with her she'd see the similarity too, see how they were both living in the shadows of their counterparts, and then maybe, by some miracle of fate, he could get her to stop acting like such a hateful woman all the time.

If nothing else, it would make his tumultuous life a lot easier, and certainly it would do Shuu good to drop that sarcastic mask of hers once in a while.

Koji frowned as he reached the Asatenshi sister's door, glancing down at the rolled up picture in his hand. It was the drawing Shuu had dropped almost a month ago, the one he had kept out of respect for the artwork but hadn't returned out of fear of Shuu's wrath. "Maybe I oughta jus' leave that fer another time..." he murmured, but quickly shook his head. "No, Koji," he argued with himself, as he was prone to do, "you've been holdin' onta it fer too long, an' it's time t'get rid of th' damn thing b'fore Shuu starts thinkin' ya been holdin' onta it 'cause ya like her or somethin'." He chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, I don't see her thinkin' that, neither, but ya never really know."

He hesitated for a moment, then, gathering all of his courage and - what he would need most - patience, rapped sharply on the door. "Knock knock! Who's there? Oh, it's Koji, wantin' t'talk t'Shuu about a couple a-things. Is it all right if I come in?" He paused; normally this was where he would end his bit by asking "Koji" to come right in, but with Shuu it was probably best to wait for a real answer. "So," he finished, "is that okay?"

The bandit waited several seconds for some kind of reply, but received none. She wasn't talking. Just great. He shifted feet nervously, glancing down at the paper in his hand. Was it _really_ worth the trouble? He could always come back later, right? It wasn't like the sister was going anywhere, after all, and... Koji shook his head. No, he'd been holding this off for way too long. If he kept holding it off, then he'd never get it finished, the sister would never get her drawing back, and he'd never be able to smooth things over with her. Besides, if he didn't make peace with the Asatenshi sister now, it was likely that his watch that evening would become very unpleasant, very fast. The co-leader took a breath and opened the door.

The Asatenshi sister was standing at the far end of the room with her back to the bandit. It was impossible to tell what she was doing, but she looked like she was concentrating very hard. Koji paused, unsure if he should interrupt her, but decided that, if she wanted him to leave, she would most definitely tell him. That was her way. He cleared his throat timidly. "Eh, Shuu-san? I ain't interruptin' anythin' too important, am I?"

Shuu jumped - he had taken her by surprise - dropping whatever she was holding in her palms and whirling to face the bandit co-leader. She scowled, stepping quickly between him and the fallen object. "Can't you knock or something?!" she snapped, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "Give a girl a little warning before you barge in! I could've been naked!"

"Fer both our sakes, I'm glad ya wasn't. An' anyway, I _did _knock_,_ but you were so busy that ya didn't answer," he justified. Koji glanced past her, towards the mysterious item on the ground. "What were ya doin', anyway? Ya looked kinda busy; I wasn't sure if I oughta interrupt 'r not..."

"My business and no one else's," she replied, eyes sparking with a warning fire. Whatever he had said, it hadn't been right; already Koji was treading on thin ice with the sister. She noticed the silent hesitation in his hazel orbs and sighed, relaxing her posture a bit. "Well, what do you want?"

"Eh? Oh, I, uh, I jus' wanted t'apologize fer last night," the co-leader explained without preamble. "I didn't have any real reason t'be sucha jerk, so, so I'm sorry."

Shuu shrugged, turning her back on the bandit once again. "I've been treated worse," she assured him, kneeling to the floor to pick up whatever she had dropped. "And anyway, I wasn't all that mad at you." She turned back to look at him, the retrieved item cupped in her palms, and flashed the co-leader a small smirk. "In fact, I was more surprised than anything: you never looked like you had the balls to stand up to _Genji-kun_, much less me."

The bandit felt one of his eyebrows begin to twitch, but forced himself not to get irritated. In a way, the Asatenshi woman was _almost_ paying him a compliment. Almost. "Well, since we've got watch t'gether, I jus' figgered we oughta be on decent terms, s'all. Wanted t'make sure we weren't gonna be killin' each other when we were s'posed t'be on guard duty."

"Please," she snorted. "You're not worth the effort to kill." The sister placed her token - Koji now realized that it was a white gem, though it looked completely useless to his eyes - on the table beside her bed. She lifted her nose contemptuously, taking a seat on her bed as if to tell the co-leader how little this conversation meant to her. "Don't get me wrong of course. I don't have any real problem with you, you know, but your overall personality disgusts me. That's why I can't stand you."

"Is that so?" Koji grumbled, trying very, very hard to keep his temper. He was usually pretty easy-going, especially with women, but Shuu knew all the right buttons to push and she was pushing them with all her might. Someday the co-leader would have to ask her when she had become so good at being so difficult. Though, when he thought about it, she'd probably just answer him with her usual amount of sarcasm and anger. Maybe he'd never get a straight answer out of the Asatenshi sister.

He was about to turn and leave, but remembered his other reason for coming. "Ah, Shuu-san, there was one other reason why I wanted t'see ya," he explained, managing to keep the edge out of his voice. The bandit reached into his belt, pulling out the rolled-up parchment from so long ago. He extended his hand to the sister, offering her the paper. Her eyes widened almost immediately, face paling. "I found this a while ago, an' I meant t'give it back to ya, but-"

She leapt from her bed, bumping the nightstand and causing her white gem to crash to the floor again. The Asatenshi woman didn't seem to notice; all her attention was focused on the parchment in Koji's grasp. "Give me that!" she snapped, snatching the paper out of his hand. She unrolled it quickly, though she already knew what it contained. The young woman glanced over it quickly, then looked up at the co-leader, green eyes blazing. "Where the hell did you find this?! Did you look at it?! I thought I lost it weeks ago!"

Koji blanched a little; it was hard to face the full brunt of Shuu's stares. "You... ya dropped it a while back. I thought t'return it to ya, but I never knew quite how t'do it, plus with everythin' goin' on it kept slippin' my mind. An' yeah, I wasn't gonna look at it, but it rolled open an' I couldn't help but see it." The bandit frowned a little, curiousity evident in his tone. "But... but whose it supposed t'be a picture of? Is that s'posed t'be you... or Hikaru? An' why-?"

"What gives you the right to ask about _my_ personal business?!" By now the Asatenshi sister had turned a light shade of pink, and was growing steadily darker by the moment. Koji didn't think he had ever seen her so angry... or so embarrassed. "I don't have to tell you anything, it has nothing to do with you - I don't even know why you kept it anyway, it's just some stupid doodle, unless it was..." she stopped, and her eyes narrowed knowingly. "Of course. You're probably getting a big kick out of this, watching the little Shuu brat go ballistic over some crappy picture, aren't you? You're so disgusting."

"Shuu-san, that isn't-"

Shuu scowled, shoving past the older man and moving towards the door of her room. "I've got better things to do than be the butt of your brainless joke. And I'm sure as hell not gonna stand around and listen to some pathetic doodle of mine get ridiculed. You are so-"

The co-leader's patience deserted him. He turned, jerking out a hand and grabbing the sister's wrist. She made as if to slip away, but the bandit's hold was tight; he pulled her closer, never once loosening his grip. "Dammit, Shuu," he nearly shouted, "would you stop being so damn paranoid and let me speak?!"

The young woman glared at him, violence shining in her eyes. "Hanashite [Let go of me]!" she ordered, emerald magic crackling around her thin frame. "Let go of me or I'll-!"

"Not until I get t'explain somethin'," he told her, and there was so much force in his voice that the Asatenshi sister went momentarily mute. It was just enough time for the bandit to speak. "I didn't come here t'piss ya off, though I seem t'be pretty good at that fer some reason. I jus' wanted t'apologize, an' t'give back th' picture. I'd-a given it back sooner 'cept that I was afraid of a scene like this - an' with good reason - an' th' only reason I didn't toss the thing a long time ago is 'cause... well, it's 'cause... 'cause it's a really good drawin', an' I didn't wanna see somethin' like that thrown away."

The bandit managed a small, crooked smile. "So see, I didn't go outta my way t'piss ya off. I didn't figger you fer th' kind who got embarrassed. An' I don't hate ya, no matter what'cha might think. I've never hated anyone in my life - don't think I've got th' stamina fer it." His tone softened considerably. "If anythin', I'm worried about ya, Shuu-san. It can't possibly be healthy fer ya, goin' around actin' so cold 'n' harsh 'n' secretive all th' time. I guess that's th' real reason I came here. 'Cause I thought maybe we c'd start over, an' at least _try_ t'get along. We've got more in common than ya prob'ly think, an' if you'd stop distancin' yerself from all of us, you'd see that."

For several long seconds all that could be heard was the rapid breathing of the Asatenshi sister. Her eyes were locked with his, as if she didn't know how to look away, and for the barest hint of a second they seemed to be filled with a thousand emotions, all of them unfamiliar to the bitter Asatenshi sister. Koji noticed with some surprise that Shuu's hand, beneath his grip, was trembling violently. She looked completely vulnerable, absolutely and utterly vulnerable, just like she had that day after she'd arrived, and for a brief moment Koji thought she might break down.

But then the sister regained control, remembered her job and this bandit's role in that job, and all those new emotions vanished until all that was left was a cold fury. Unbelievable! Twice... twice he had almost bridged that gap, that gap that she could never, _ever_ allow to be bridged! How _dare_ he, this bandit that was so weak, so pathetic that he couldn't even fight off a...!?

_Whap!_

Koji had been focusing so hard on those expressive emerald eyes that he didn't see the sister's free hand until it struck him across the face. He took a step backwards, releasing the Asatenshi woman's wrist and allowing her to move towards the doorway. Surprise etched in every aspect of his visage, the co-leader opened his mouth to question her actions, to question the sudden mood change and equally sudden blow.

"Liar," she snarled, bringing one hand up and pointing an accusing finger at the bandit's chest. "I know your type well enough; I know the kind of fool you are. You don't give a damn what happens to me, you're only playing the nice guy so you can get closer to Hikaru. That's the only person you _really_ care about." She took another step back, curling her lip in a look of utter disgust. "How sickening. You're just like every other human..." The sister whirled on her heel, swinging her room door open and flying out before the bandit had a chance to utter a word.

And once again silence filled the room. Koji watched the doorway where the Asatenshi sister had been only moments before, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened. He had just told her the truth, the honest to gods truth, and she had looked at him like maybe he'd actually reached her, like maybe she was going to show him what was under that icy mask, and then...

Then she'd slapped him.

Something about that just didn't add up.

"Well, this has been one hell of a great day," the co-leader grumbled, rubbing hard at his stinging cheek. "How is it that when I deserve t'get smacked, like last night, nothin' happens, but when I try t'do somethin' nice..." he shook his head, scowling harder. "Well, that's th' last time ya try t'help _her_ out, Koji, if yer jus' gonna get slapped an' accused fer yer trouble..."

The co-leader turned to leave the room, but stopped as a familiar white glimmer caught the corner of his eye. He looked over his shoulder, noticing the crystal gem that Shuu had been messing with when he'd first arrived. The stone was still lying on the ground, forgotten by the angry sister, pulsing faintly with some sort of inner light.

"Wonder what that thing is?" he asked aloud, unable to stop his curiosity. "Looks like it might have magic... well, I shouldn' mess with anythin'-a hers, otherwise I'll just get smacked again." He paused, eyes still fixed on the glowing crystal. "Still, it is my fault it got knocked over. Guess I might as well put it back on th' nightstand."

Koji stepped lightly across the wooden floor, kneeling next to the unusual object and reaching out with his left hand. "Dunno why I'm helpin' her out anyway, but at least this way she can't accuse me-a-"

But he never finished his sentence, for as soon as he touched the gem an amazing variety of emotions assailed him, all contradicting themselves with such violent passion that the bandit nearly cried out in alarm. A barrage of images came full blast upon him, too fast to make out, though for a brief instant he saw a clear picture, the perfect image of the frowning face of a blue-haired young man-

Then there was a flash of emotion from the crystal, a powerful charge full of fear and indignation and disgust. _'Akuma!'_ he could have sworn it screamed, right before a shot of emerald fire raced up his arm, scalding his hand and forcing him to pull away.

The co-leader scrabbled hastily to his feet, holding his singed palm and nearly sprinting out of the room. He stood on the other side of the door for a moment, trying to deny what he knew he had seen. It was Chichiri, younger and without the scar, but the similarities were too strong for it to have been anyone else. Yes, it _had_ to have been Chichiri. And if that was the case, then that meant Shuu could see him, watch him, perhaps she could even talk to him! Shuu knew, Shuu _knew _where he was, and maybe she knew how to reach him. But maybe she didn't, he reasoned, frantically searching for some kind of alternate solution, though even he wasn't sure why he should be protecting the young Asatenshi woman. Maybe she was working like Hikaru, trying to somehow bring him back. It was possible. There was no reason to raise further suspicions about the sister to Tasuki, not when the bandit already distrusted her and had so much on his mind already.

But Koji couldn't stop himself from casting one last look at the Asatenshi sister's room, and at the glowing crystal, so full of magic, shimmering on her floor; couldn't help himself from asking the question he had been asking since the arrival of the mysterious, harsh, vulnerable woman. Who _was _this Asatenshi Shuu, anyway... and why, why was she...?

---

---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: Aug. 15, 2004; 10:55 P.M_

Hao, minna-san!

Ah, well, another day, another Character Development Chapter. Gotta love 'em, right? Actually, this Movement is a good deal more fast-paced than the last one – there are even a few battle scenes! Oo, intensity! – but I have to set the stage first, y'know? Expect something a bit on the swifter side in upcoming Verses. And, as always, apologies on the lateness. This chapter has been done since about six months ago, but I've been busy writing (or at least trying to write) new Verses and haven't had a chance to give this one its final edit job and post it up. Better late than never though, right? (Sigh)

**Random Chapter Comments **In other news, I'm now addicted to .hack music and the Excel Saga anime – but that's beside the point! Chapter comments, chapter comments... oh, right! As much as I'd like to say that highly disturbing opening "dream sequence" came out of my own twisted brain, the truth is I swiped the original idea from "Saber Marionette J," including the infamous "I am your breakfast" line. So, yeah, I can't claim to be creative. Sorry folks.

Oh, yes, and this isn't a chapter comment, but I would like to encourage people who were pissed at this ridiculous new rule that bans "script/chatroom fanfics" to write very forceful and angry letters to and let them _know _how angry you are! Some damn good stories were wiped off the face of because of this, such as Roku Kyu's "Casting Stones," and we shouldn't take this lying down. Because you know what the next thing to go is gonna be? That's right people: self-insertions and R-Rated works. And I'm not gonna let "Bridge over the Abyss," "White Stones in the Moonlight," and "Fushigiggles" kick the bucket without a long, hard fight! Grr...

So, to summarize: Angry letters may not change anything, but at least they make you feel better! Damn Fanfiction Nazis...

**Answering Reviews **Welcome welcome Mie-chan, it's always great to have another member of the family! Here, have a welcoming gift (holds out a cyber car). I know that won't do you much good in the real world, but it's the thought that counts, right? (Sweatdrop)

_To Fire Pendant-san, on the Weaver's Emotions –_ That's a tricky question, and one I really don't know how to answer because (a) I don't want to reveal too much, and (b) it's too hard to explain in a simple Q & A section. Let's just say that one of our characters will eventually have the chance to ask this question somewhere during the Third Movement, and things will (more or less) be explained there. However, I would at this point in time encourage you – and this means everyone – to look at the things from the Weaver's point of view, and draw your own conclusions (yeah, I like to make my readers work – I'm so evil).

_To Mie-san, on Koji and Genji –_ Well, every time I can convert another FY fan to the Koji-centric light, I feel pretty proud of myself. And as for Genji-kun's haircut... well, it's a bit hard to explain. I guess its something of a mixture between Koji and Tamahome, if that makes any sense. I posted a (very old and very bad) picture of him up on my little homepage link, and if you'd like I'd also be happy to e-mail you a page of Genji-kun sketches that my online pal Threshie drew.

_To Everyone, but related to what Mie-san said – _I feel absolutely honored when people do fan art of my stories, so if any of you feel the urge to doodle a sketch of any of the characters please don't be bashful about sending them to me! I'll cherish 'em almost as much as your dee-lightful reviews!

_To Shinju-san – _Thank you for getting Mie-san addicted to my work! The more victi – ah, I mean, the more readers, the merrier, I figure! Ah-heh-heh-heh...

_**Quote of the Week:** _"Kill Bill Vol. 2" came out on Wednesday, and in celebration my friends and I had a "Tarantino Tuesday" movie marathon. Which would explain this week's quote...

"_What does punctuality have to do with love?!"_

--From "Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood" (for those of you wondering, "Four Rooms" is a movie comprised of four connected stories. Quentin Tarantino, God bless him, wrote, directed, and starred in "The Man from Hollywood," which is genius)

I'm also partial to: "It's f-ckin' Cristal! Everything else is piss!" but that seemed a bit vulgar for a PG-13 fanfic (though, I have to wonder how long it's going to keep that rating, considering where this story is going... but we'll get to that when we get to it, won't we? (Grin) )

That's all for now! See you in the next installment!

Dee ;)


	22. Verse Three: Get the Win

**Verse Three: Get the Win**

"_I wanna fly all over the place._

_I wanna throw caution to the wind._

_It isn't because I've lost anything_

_It's because nothing's even started yet."_

_--Arimachi Masahiko; "Through the Night"--_

The next morning was filled with a buzz of excitement, an anticipation that filled the stronghold and hummed through all its corridors. Before breakfast was half over the news had spread to every man in the gang, and each man in turn began preparing for what was certain to come, a tense excitement displayed in all their actions. Their leaders, as well as some of the better campaigners, had locked themselves away in one of Reikaku's smaller meeting rooms, which could only mean one thing: they were planning an attack on the Akutsuki gang. Finally, their lurking enemy would be drawn from the shadows and dealt with properly; finally, they could strike out against their vicious rivals and destroy them with the perfect efficiency that was famous on Reikaku lands. For how could victory _not_ be imminent, with a seishi commander and a battle-hardened lieutenant? Not a bandit in the stronghold doubted the surety of a victory against the Akutsuki gang; one-on-one, hand-to-hand, no gang could possibly best the famous Reikaku bandits, not even ones with magic-wielders!

No one doubted, that is, except the leaders themselves. Tasuki and Koji had spent most of the late hours the night before discussing and re-discussing battle plans; even after they had separated, most of their sleepless nights were spent planning, strategizing, and mulling over the possibilities for their attack. For, even the cautious Koji agreed, an attack was the only way they could gain back both pride and land in this war with their rival gang. But it would have to be done right; the Akutsuki gang was not a group to be trifled with, and both leaders knew this all too well.

So the very next morning they called a hasty meeting with a few of their better campaigners, and set to work on a solid battle plan. If all went well, they could scout the Akutsuki lands before nightfall, and have an attack set up for the very next day. Their enemy would never know what hit them.

Koji sat back in his chair, watching calmly as Tasuki, Soshu, and Ken - who proved surprisingly well-versed with the land around Reikaku - sat with their heads bent over a large map of the mountain and its surrounding territory, talking in muttered voices about the best routes for a reconnaissance mission. Genji hovered nearby as well, torn between aiding his elders and learning from their experience, though he was really only supposed to be bringing breakfast to the quartet.

"Look, we know their hideout can't be that far from ours," Tasuki explained, gesturing towards the map of the territory. "Otherwise, how c'd they plan those hit 'n' run attacks so well?"

Soshu, a veteran bandit with a knack for detail, shook his head. "Not necessarily - they've got that magic, remember? They c'n sneak on 'n' off easy, with a sorcerer among 'em; they could be two _li_ away or a thousand, fer all we know."

"I agree with Soshu-san," Ken murmured, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "We'd better spread ourselves out a little thinner and go out a little farther; better to find them on one mission than wear ourselves out on several."

"Nope, Genrou's right," Koji voiced. The others turned, giving their fourth member their full attention; though he sat back from the trio, they knew his eyes and ears didn't miss any of the discussion. Koji was a skilled campaigner, the best on the mountain, and when all was said and done even Tasuki knew that his opinion would be the deciding one. "'Cause it ain't like they jus' march on, attack randomly, an' march off. They know where t'place themselves. They know our land almost as well as we do, so chances are they're close. Might even be squattin' on the very edges of it - patrols don't always go out that far, y'know."

Soshu and Ken gave small grunts of agreement. "All right," Soshu said, pointing towards the map. "So we keep in close. Keep our forces t'gether. But where d'we start lookin'?"

"Around the river, near the southern base of the mountain," Genji piped up, causing the veteran bandits to glance up in surprise. The youth blushed, remembering that he wasn't even supposed to _be _in the room, but stuttered an explanation through his growing embarrassment. "It's just, um, you have to be close to a water supply, like we're only a little bit away from the Kagaryu Stream, because it's, um, it's a basic survival need... te kanjii."

Tasuki grinned. "Have a seat, Genji-kun," he invited, patting the remaining chair. "Y'just got promoted t'Junior Campaigner."

The young bandit blushed again, this time with pleasure, and plopped himself joyfully into the chair between Ken and Koji. "A-ri-ga-tou, te kanjii!"

Koji chuckled and turned his attention back to the issue at hand. "Right, so we limit it t'the area by that south river. We c'n cross off anythin' past th' edge-a th' Kuri Forest - anyone livin' in that place is askin' fer a quick death - and everythin' above about the fourth _li_ mark - we're ain't gotten so cocky that we wouldn't-a noticed a stronghold springin' up that close."

"And that," Ken continued triumphantly, drawing a large circle on the map with his finger, "limits us to a three _li_ radius on the southern side-a Mount Reikaku."

Tasuki clapped his hands almost hungrily, standing and watching the others. "Okay, great, we've got all that messy stuff outta th' way. So whatta we got in th' form-a battle plans, eh? We wanna surround 'em an' close in, or all come in from one way an' overwhelm 'em, or..."

"Ano..." Genji coughed, speaking for the rest of the sweatdropping bandits. "Maybe, Gen-sama, er, meaning no disrespect of course, but maybe we ought to focus on _finding_ the hideout first. Like, a, um, a scouting mission, te kanjii."

A murmured rumble of agreement filled the room, Koji voicing his with a small, teasing smirk on his face. "Leave it t'you, Genrou, t'ferget the means an' go straight t'the ends."

"Oh, fine!" he growled, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. The seishi made a big show of leaning back in his chair, yawning wide and closing his eyes. "You four have fun yammerin' about that. Wake me when yer done, an' we c'n get t'some _real_ plannin'."

"Fair enough," Soshu agreed, shoving the gang leader out of the way of the map and knocking his chair over in the process. "Let's get t'work on this, Koji-san, Ken, Genji-kun, while our leader gets his beauty sleep. Suzaku knows he c'd use a lot of it."

Genji giggled, stealing Tasuki's fallen chair before the disgruntled bandit could recover it. "Good idea, Soshu-san. And, since he's so comfortable on the floor, I'm sure he won't mind me borrowing his chair, te kanjii!"

"Would you knock it off?! I wasn't really goin' t'sleep, y'know!"

Ken blinked, surprised by the familiarity the bandit underlings showed with the seishi. Other strongholds would have beheaded gang members for treating their leader with such blatant disrespect. But Reikaku was not like other gangs, and Tasuki was no ordinary leader. The new bandit smiled, helping Tasuki to his feet with a small chuckle on his lips. "You know, if this plan of ours fails, we could always invite the Akutsuki gang over for dinner. Once they see the way this stronghold acts, I'd say they'd be biting at the bit to _join_ you."

"Either that, or they'd be too busy laughin' at us t'fight," Koji added, a tiny bit of impatience in his voice. Reikaku had always been a place of easy-going humour, but they needed to stay focused. And the co-leader remembered what had happened the last time they had let their guard down. Five wounded, and Kaneka still in serious condition. No way could they risk that again. "But let's make that our last resort plan; fer the moment, an attack sounds like our best bet."

"Doesn't sound like we got much more t'work on," Tasuki remarked, gesturing towards the map. "We've done scoutin' missions b'fore. We'll send out twenty bandits, that's about half of us, an' keep th' rest back here. No reason t'bring a whole squad, after all. Do a swing of th' area, spread out a li'l but not too thin in case of an attack. Then we march back home 'n' start plannin' fer the ass-whoopin' that'll come t'morrow."

Ken frowned. "Is that how you've always done it, Leader?" the bandit seishi nodded; the newcomer pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Hm."

"What?"

He glanced up, hesitating a moment before answering. It was still hard for the new bandit to adjust to the "equal voice" rule of the Reikaku bandits; a lower-level member like himself shouldn't have been able to contradict the leader so easily. "Well, it's just, it would seem to me that it would be better to split your forces and do sweeps from both the east and west. We'll cover more ground in the same amount of time, because we'll have two forces, and two leaders to head the packs rather than just one."

"Well, yeah, but..." Soshu looked uneasy. "You're new, Ken, so there're a lot of things y'don't know about us. One of those things is that, y'see, Genrou 'n' Koji don't do the splittin' up thing. They work better as a team, an' when ya knock 'em apart, well, it's a bit like knockin' Reikaku down th' middle. It jus' don't function right."

Tasuki nodded his agreement. "There's a reason I'm th' longest-livin' leader so far, an' it ain't my sword skills. It's my strategy, an' th' fact that I always got Koji watchin' my back. It might be harder, but in th' event of a fight, it's always more effective."

Ken nodded humbly, bowing to his defeat. "Of course, that makes perfect sense. Forget I said anything."

_But still, wouldn't it be nice, _Koji felt more than heard a voice, a voice that was becoming increasingly familiar, hiss in his ear, _to be free of his shadow, just once. To stop "watching his back," and start watching your own. To show your skills on the battlefield, without having to do it with that fire-wielding hothead leading the pack. To prove yourself, for the first time in over fifteen years, to the rest of the stronghold and to yourself._

Well, yeah, Koji argued inwardly. But it's better fer the gang this way. I can't jus' turn my back on what's good fer th' whole jus' so I can show off a little.

_Not even for Hikaru?_

"Maybe we oughta try somethin' different," the words ripped their way from Koji's throat before he was aware of them, but as soon as they came out they seemed to make perfect sense. If nothing else, he would _make_ them make sense. "These Akutsuki guys, they know a lot about us. They might know our battle strategies, too. So why not switch it up on 'em, 'n' go with Ken's idea?" Of course, he assured his questioning mind. In the end, it was better for Reikaku that he split from Tasuki's side, just this once.

The seishi bandit jerked his head to look his friend in the eyes, surprise etched clearly across his face. Surprise, and what looked like fear. "Eh? But, but Koji, we've always-"

"C'mon, Genrou," the co-leader said with a laugh, once more using his friend's pride to his advantage. "I'm sure y'can survive one battle without me t'look out fer ya."

"That's not why I don't wanna do it!" Tasuki snapped, probably a little too quickly. But he couldn't let them know the truth. About his questions, his worries, his doubts. About his constant nagging fear of losing Koji, of losing the only person left to look out for him. That was weakness. A bandit leader could never, ever afford to show weakness. Not even if it meant lying to yourself the entire way. "Its jus' that we've always worked that way, an' it seems like a bad idea t'stop doin' what's never stopped workin'."

"A lot of things that worked in th' past ain't workin' against the Akutsuki," Koji reminded him quietly. He marveled at how sure he sounded, when he was still fighting to convince himself. "Who's t'say this wouldn't be the biggest blunder of 'em all?" Tasuki still wavered, so the co-leader sunk the final nail into the coffin. "I ain't willin' t'lose bandit lives fer th' sake of tradition, Genrou."

Tasuki opened his mouth to argue, but the last words hit him like a slap in the face. Five wounded, he heard his mind whisper once again. Five of _his_ people, because of _his_ foolishness. That was one thing that would never happen again. "Okay. So, I'll take the west side, 'n' you take th' east. We'll do a sweep, then meet back at th' stronghold around sunset." The others nodded and stood, preparing to inform their companions. Tasuki's eyes still held Koji's hazel ones, and there was a sort of desperation deep in their centers that made the co-leader hesitate with his decision, though only briefly. "An' fer gods' sake, Koji, y'better be here when I get back."

---

"So, you're really going after this Akutsuki gang, huh? Pretty ballsy move for you, not that I'm entirely surprised; you've been acting more like a man and less like the Reikaku wife these past few days."

Koji turned towards the familiar, impatient female voice, unsure if he should be pleased or irritated by her sudden presence in his room and her equally sudden compliment - or was it a rude comment? He could never be completely sure with the youngest Asatenshi sister. "Thanks, I guess," was all he could think to say. "What're you doin' here, anyway?"

"I can't come to tell you good luck?" she asked, arms crossed over her chest in their customary position of defiance. At Koji's raised eyebrow, the sister laughed dryly. "What, not a good enough lie? Okay, so I came to tell you I'm coming with you on your little mission."

The bandit felt more surprise well up in his chest, as well as an intense feeling of irritation. Just the other night, this woman had called him a liar, a jerk, and had delivered a vicious slap that he wouldn't soon forget; and now she wanted to accompany him on a scouting trip? "What?! Why-?!"

"I'm bored," she explained, draping her arms across the end of his bed. "My magic's just sitting around, cramped up inside me, and it needs to do something. Frying bandits sounds like a good way to let out energy. Besides," she added, glancing up through a mat of messy black hair, "if I don't go with you, you'll end up getting yourself killed. I may hate you, but our little arguments have been moderately... amusing, to me."

"That's the biggest load-a bull I've ever heard," Koji snapped, surprised by his increasing annoyance with the sister. It was becoming harder and harder to tolerate the young Asatenshi woman, and the bandit could feel his patience straining. "It's a freakin' reconnaissance mission, Shuu-san. I'll be surprised if we run inta _one _Akutsuki bandit along the way, much less have a real battle. An' anyway, I c'n take care-a myself on th' battlefield. I don't need anyone t'look after me."

_Not that you wouldn't _want_ a real battle._

"Not that I'd mind a real battle," Koji added quietly, the silent, independent thought almost immediately merging with his own. "It'd be nice, t'get in some real action fer a change. And without having to..." he trailed off, not wanting the sister to hear his final thoughts. Not wanting her to know - and not wanting to admit to himself - that this entire change of plans was a ploy, a wishful idea that outside of Tasuki's shadow he could prove his own worth to the Asatenshi sister he truly cared about.

But the co-leader should have known that such details rarely escaped the young woman's watchful eyes. "That's exactly why I'm coming with you," she retorted, turning her eyes down to her hands where a little green spark danced between her fingers. The sister played with it almost subconsciously as it moved from finger to finger, the energy crackling with the need to be released. "You're so damn intent on getting into a battle and proving that you _can_ do things on your own without that Ahou's help that you're going to wind up getting yourself shot just to show that you can take it."

She scowled, pinching the emerald magic between her fingers and letting it blink out of existence. "It's a stupid reason to risk the rest of the bandits' lives. You're already the one looking out for _that_ moron, not the other way around, so what's the point of giving yourself an ego-booster? It won't accomplish anything, 'cept giving you an arrow in your head."

"Well, _you_ might think I'm a better leader than Genrou, but Hikaru ain't been convinced yet," Koji told her, the words out of his mouth before he could realize exactly what he'd said. Once he did, though, he groaned inwardly at what he had admitted, and what he suddenly knew to be all too true. Hikaru's attention, the love he had sought and been denied for nearly two months. That was all this had ever been about; that was all it had always been about. But he couldn't go back on it now, he told himself almost frantically. He couldn't admit his mistake, not after he'd taken it so far. "An' anyway," he added hastily, "sometimes its important t'switch up battle plans. I ain't tryin' t'risk any lives here; I'm tryin' t'save a few."

"Now _that's _the biggest load of bull I've ever heard," Shuu snorted, mimicking the bandit's earlier words. She stood, popping her back and turning to leave. "Well, whatever. It's not my fault if half the stronghold gets slaughtered because you're all hung up on my sister. Oh, and forget I said anything about coming along - our arguments aren't so amusing that I'm gonna risk my neck for your obsession." The sister started to leave, but stopped at the last minute. "And one more thing," she looked over her shoulder, emerald eyes meeting his hazel ones full force, "if you touch that crystal of mine again, you'll get more than a little burn. You're already too far along to withstand another meeting with that kind of power."

"Too far along? What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing," she assured him, a secretive, almost vicious smile playing on her lips. "I'll see you around. But then again, maybe I won't. But I guess I can't always hope for the best, can I?" And with those words, Shuu was gone, once again leaving the bandit co-leader struck dumb and riddled with questions.

_Ignore her for now. She sees many truths, but she'll never understand you, _the pinprick of a voice told him, though this time it seemed louder, more commanding._ For now, there are more pressing matters at hand._

Koji nodded, turning towards the corner of his room to gather together his weapons and the scant armor he wore during battle. It was unlikely that a fight would occur, but he never left the stronghold unprepared. Underestimating your enemy was the ultimate weakness. That was why they had changed up their battle plan in the first place, he reminded himself firmly. Not because of Hikaru, and not because of his own selfish needs. It was for the stronghold's own good. To throw the Akutsuki gang off a little, and ensure a successful exploration.

But was it, really...?

_Of course,_ that same little hiss agreed, and the co-leader could almost feel the reassuring smile. It was so easy to trust that voice, so easy to believe everything it said; it spoke the words he wanted to hear. _Everything you've ever done has been for the good of the other bandits. This is no different._

Koji did not question the silent sentences, not yet anyway. They were too small, too much of a whisper in his mind for him to question them just yet. Besides, they were too pleasing for him to _want_ to question their validity, or if they were really the work of his own mind or of something much darker. For now, the quiet encouragement was all he needed and wanted. He turned the current issue from his mind and questioned it no more.

And somewhere far from the bandit's ears, but closer than he could ever imagine, a very small voice let out a very vicious, eager chuckle.

---

Tasuki knew he should have been back in his room, getting prepared for the battle ahead, but for some reason his feet had taken him to the small side room that now acted as infirmary for the few injured bandits still unable to move about on their own. Hikaru was there, which he was expecting - counting on, really - tending to Kaneka's wounds. The young bandit had taken one arrow to the collarbone and another to the abdomen, and though it hadn't hit anything vital he was in extreme pain and half-mad with a relentless fever. The Asatenshi woman was doing what she could, but the bandit leader knew Kaneka's chances of survival were still uncertain. That wasn't what he was really worried about, though; it wasn't the reason he had sought Hikaru out.

The bandit leader said nothing as Hikaru tended to Kaneka's injuries, but he paced behind the pair like a caged wolf, his boots hitting the wooden floors with a decisive, attention-seeking _thud _with every step. It was all Hikaru could do to keep her attention on her current healing spells, and though she didn't have the courage to say it the noise was starting to wear on her nerves. Sometimes Tasuki was as bad as a little kid when it came to getting what he wanted.

_Thud thud thud thud thud... thudthudthudthud..._

Hikaru set her hands down, eyebrow twitching with the tiniest bit of irritation. "Tasuki, if you must do that, could you please do it a bit quieter?" she asked through gritted teeth. "This is a difficult spell, and I'd hate to mess it up."

He stopped for a moment, just long enough to answer her request with a, "Oh, sure thing, Hikaru," before going right back to his pacing. The noise didn't decrease a bit, either; if anything, the Asatenshi sister could've sworn it _grew_ in volume. No matter, she assured herself; she could work around a little bit of noise.

_Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud..._

She was a talented healer and could work under even the most distressing circumstances: screaming patients, sobbing family members, pacing bandits...

_Thud thud thud thud..._

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she finally cried, losing her patience with the Reikaku leader. The Asatenshi sister swiveled her head, raven-blue hair scattering from her face. "Tasuki, I will listen to your problems as soon as I am capable, but for the moment Kaneka-san needs my attention. Until that time comes, would you please _sit down_ and _be quiet_?"

Tasuki jumped at the unusually harsh tone, but recovered his composure quickly. He scowled, trying to feign a carelessness he didn't feel. He couldn't admit that he wanted help, especially from a woman. He couldn't admit that anymore than he could admit any of his other weaknesses. Not that he had any weaknesses, he reminded himself firmly. And even if there were a few, this wasn't the time to think about them. There was _never_ a time to think about _that_. "Who said I wanted ya t'listen t'my problems?"

Hikaru's face contorted into a look of mixed confusion and annoyance. "Then why-?" she caught herself on her words, shaking her head in resignation. "Never mind, just please sit down while I finish up with Kaneka. It shouldn't take long."

The bandit leader's frown deepened, but he did as the Asatenshi sister requested. There wasn't much else he could do, he admitted. He needed the sister's help, and if staying silent was the most affective way to achieve that goal, then so be it. Though he really hated listening to someone else's orders, even Koji's, he thought to himself. _'I wonder what that says about me 'n' Hikaru, if I'm so willin' t'do what she asks. Huh...'_

The Asatenshi sister finished her healing spell in a few minutes, as she had promised, and turned to face the Reikaku leader with a much more willing and patient look on her pretty face. "Now, Tasuki," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?" Kaneka moaned softly; Hikaru saw the worried look in Tasuki's eyes and answered the unspoken question: "It's the abdomen wound. It's very painful for him, and I doubt he'll ever fully heal. Still, I think he's out of danger, as long as I keep a close eye on him for the next couple of days."

"Let's hope he's th' only one ya gotta keep an eye on fer th' rest-a yer stay here," the seishi bandit muttered, a shadow falling across his face. He looked up quickly, meeting the young woman's emerald orbs with his own. Hikaru started a little, surprised by the expression of open concern and vulnerability in the amber eyes. Tasuki rarely dropped his protective mask; she was shocked that he would do it so willingly in front of her. "We're goin' on a scoutin' mission t'day, this afternoon," he explained.

"So I heard," she said with a nod, spreading her skirts out as she situated herself in a more comfortable position on the floor. "You and Koji-san are splitting up, right? There's been a buzz about it in the stronghold all day - I take it this isn't something that happens often?"

He shook his head. "It's never happened b'fore, an' I can't figger out why Koji agreed to it in th' first place. But he did, an' I went along with it, 'cause I can't admit that..." he scratched the back of his head, still unwilling to explain that aspect of his soul to the sister. She wasn't ready for that just yet. Even he wasn't ready for that just yet. "Anyway, I'm worried. Fer Koji, an' fer me. 'Cause we never... this'll be th' first time since th' seishi travels that we've... and I jus' don't know, I don't know if..." Tasuki hesitated, on the verge of admitting the real cause of his concerns, but his nagging pride - and overwhelming fear of the truth - held him back. "I don't know if he'll be all right without me lookin' out fer him," he lied, surprised at how easily it came to him. But after all, it was the lie he'd been telling himself for years; by now, the telling was as easy as breathing. Someday, he hoped that believing it would be that easy, too.

Hikaru chuckled. "Oh, I don't think you need to look out for Koji-san too much. I haven't been here very long, but it seems to me that he can quite easily take care of himself. Besides," she added, stroking Kaneka's feverish forehead with a damp cloth, "it's only reconnaissance, deshou? So the chance of a real battle is very slim."

"Well, yeah, but... but still, there's always that tiny chance, that there might _be_ a fight, an' it only takes one arrow y'know, one lucky sword strike, then it's all over, then he's gone... and if Koji was gone, if Koji left me..." he trailed off, biting his lip and looking down. Stupid. He was revealing too much, to the sister and to himself. He couldn't go down that path. Not now, not ever. So he created another lie, one that was based off truths but still miles from reality. "I'm jus' sick of seein' my friends killed, an' if I c'n prevent it in any way, then I wanna make sure I do it."

The Asatenshi sister turned back to the bandit, watching his face curiously. After a moment, a loving smile spread across her visage. He raised an eyebrow in a silent question, and Hikaru blushed, looking away again. "G-gomen, Tasuki, I didn't mean to stare. It's just... You care about Koji-san - about all of the bandits - so much. That sort of devotion amazes me a little, I suppose."

She hesitated, unsure whether to continue her analysis of his problem, but gathered her courage and went on. "But it's like I told you last night, about the surprise attack. You can't always control everything; you can't always be the hero or the villain. Sometimes incidents happen, and you have to accept that, and you have to move on. Sometimes you have to acknowledge weakness before you can achieve strength."

The bandit turned his eyes downwards, that familiar shadow darkening his attractive features. "No," he told her quietly. "No, I can't. That's somethin' I can't handle. I can't stand any losses; I can't _afford_ anymore slip-ups."

Now it was Hikaru's turn to scowl. "If you're worried about the bandits losing faith in you, then you can forget that right now. They trust you with their lives, and they would follow you into the depths of Hell if that were your will. I hear plenty of conversations in the stronghold, but all voice confidence. They believe in everything you do, and even if you make a mistake, they know that you'll correct it immediately. And I don't think anything would ever change that."

Tasuki shook his head. Hikaru was wrong. He wanted her to be right, more than anything he wanted that to be his reason for worrying. But it was deeper than that. It was a lot more painful than that. And it was something he could never, ever say out loud, not even to the woman who wanted to help him so much.

A slender hand touched his chin, forcing him to bring his head upwards. He blinked, surprised to see Hikaru's emerald eyes inches from his own but more surprised at the compassion and understanding radiating from those orbs. "You don't need to be so uncertain," she assured him. "About the stronghold, about the other bandits... about yourself. I know you can't help but worry, and question, and fear, because that's who you are, and you care about their safety, but, but I'd really like to help take that burden away, because I can't stand seeing you..."

Hikaru trailed off, never finishing her sentence. But in that instant of silence a sad smile traced her features, and Tasuki knew that she knew everything, every last detail about his worry and his doubts and all his fears and selfishness. She saw it all, saw right past his defenses, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. And she wasn't going to stop caring about him. She was just going to accept it as another part of who he was, and leave it at that. That was all.

And for some reason, that was the greatest gift anyone could have offered him.

The bandit leaned in closer to the sister, surprised by the action and the conflicting emotions welling up in his chest, but chose not to question them. All he wanted was to feel those same waves of comfort again, to find that deep connection between the two of them that spoke louder than words, that connection that gave him an extra boost of strength that he knew he could never possess on his own.

Hikaru smiled in embarrassment, pulling back and breaking the spell that hung over the bandit. "Well, I guess my cheesy little speech won't help you much with your immediate problem, will it?" Tasuki's mouth opened with the intent to dispel this untruth - she had helped him more than she could ever imagine! - but the Asatenshi woman continued. "However, if you're still worried about Koji, then make sure to send someone out to keep an eye on him. Sort of a yojimbo bodyguard, you see."

Tasuki straightened, remembering his reasons for coming here in the first place. Koji. The scouting mission. Koji. Of course. "A bodyguard? Like who?"

"Why not Genji-kun?" she suggested. "He cares very deeply for Koji-san. I'm sure he'd keep him safe at all costs."

"Right. I'll send Genji-kun with him. Great idea." The seishi bandit stood, nodding and feeling confident once again. How was it that Hikaru could so affectively ease his worries? Maybe it was that magic of hers. Or maybe it was a magic that all women held. At any rate, it was exactly what he needed. "I better get goin'; I gotta get things set up fer th' scoutin' mission. We're leavin' pretty quick here." He turned to go, then stopped, realizing the one thing he had forgotten. "Oh, an' Hikaru?"

"Hai, Tasuki?"

"Um... thanks. Fer yer advice, and fer yer... just, just thanks."

The Asatenshi sister smiled, even though the Reikaku leader couldn't see it. "Anytime, Tasuki."

---

"Genji-kun, if ya walk any closer t'me yer gonna mow me over."

"Gomen, Koji-sama!"

"An' not so loud, okay? If there are any Akutsuki bandits runnin' around, we sure's hell don't wanna attract 'em."

"Gomen, Koji-sama."

The two bandits, along with eight of the other stronghold's better trackers, were plowing through the underbrush of Reikaku with the utmost care, always on the lookout for signs of life or indicators that someone might live nearby. Koji slashed through a large fern, pushing past the great leaves and finding himself on the edge of a steep slope. He frowned, glancing down the incline and seeing more forest at its bottom. They still hadn't reached the river, which meant they needed to cross this rough ground. He surveyed the land quickly, noting the large piles of shale and sandstone that dotted the ridge, creating a treacherous - and noisy - area of land that the bandits would have to cross. It was open, too; they'd be nearly helpless in an attack. But they needed to get to the river in order to complete their part of the mission. Koji was loath to fail, almost as much as he was unwilling to risk the bandits' lives.

"Ken, c'mere, I need yer opinion," he whispered, calling the new bandit to his side. "What d'you think of this? Y'think we oughta risk crossin' it, or try t'take the long way around?"

His answer was immediate. "It's much too dangerous to go down this way. I think we ought to sweep right. We'll also hit the river quicker that way, and we can follow the water from there."

Koji frowned, shaking his head. "Not t'the right, its too far outta the way from our chosen route. We'll move left, away from this area, an' find some easier ground t'cross. It'll take a little longer, but we'll stay on course easier."

"Hai; I'll relay the message." Ken bowed curtly and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Genji frowned behind the co-leader, following him as he skirted the ridge and moved left, into thinner forests. "I don't know why you let that guy come with us," he grumbled, kicking at a stone sullenly.

"Who, Ken?" Koji glanced over his shoulder at the youth, surprised by the look of distaste on his visage. "I know he ain't a very good fighter, 'specially compared t'you, but he's got a genius mind when it comes t'campaignin'. In a pinch, he's th' first guy I'd go to fer advice."

"Maybe, but I don't like him, te kanjii," the young bandit said. He looked away, wondering how he could explain his instincts to the older co-leader. "I just... I just don't trust anyone who smiles that much. People like that are always hiding something."

"What, does that mean y'didn't like Chichiri?" Koji questioned, glancing over his shoulder and flashing a teasing smile in the youth's direction. "That monk never once stopped smilin', y'know."

"That's different, te kanjii! He was wearing a mask, and-" Genji fell silent, noticing the look of concentration on his companion's face. "What is it, Koji-sama?" he whispered, one hand falling to the sword at his belt. "Is it... do you think it's an Akutsuki bandit?"

The co-leader's eyes narrowed as they darted across the surrounding underbrush. "Not sure, Genji-kun. It might jus' be my imagination, but I get th' feelin' like someone's nearby. Like maybe we're bein' watched, or somethin'. Anyway, I don't like it. Keep yer eyes peeled, an' look fer th' others. They might not-a felt it, so we oughta warn 'em."

"H-hai, Koji-sama!" Genji agreed hurriedly, surprised by the fluttering in his stomach. For all his skills and years on Reikaku, the youth had never experienced a true battle before, not against other humans. He had helped fight a couple of demons, and robbed some rich businessmen, but that wasn't real, that wasn't killing something that looked just like you. He trembled, both from excitement and from fear, and prayed that the phantoms were all in Koji's imagination.

The Reikaku co-leader pushed past a withered bush and quite suddenly found himself in a small clearing, the other bandits all standing nearby and awaiting his commands. They were about halfway between Reikaku and the Kagaryu River, Koji judged; they still had a ways to go. He glanced around, counting the numbers - everyone was there - and started to issue orders. "All right, we'd better head south, down towards the river, and take a sweep west. When it starts t'get dark, we c'n-" Koji stopped mid-sentence, jerking his head up and glancing nervously around.

"Something wrong?" a younger bandit named Yuki queried. "Koji-san... is everything all right?"

The co-leader felt more than heard several bowstrings thrumming. His head whipped back around to the ten bandits in his care; he had just enough time to shout "Get down!" and hit the dirt before a torrent of arrows flew out of the underbrush, filling the air where their heads had been a moment before.

Koji jumped up, counting the number of bandits who did the same - ten; they were all unhurt - but before he could issue any orders two men were upon him, screaming battle cries and waving rusted swords. The co-leader pulled his daggers swiftly from his belt, slashing one across the throat and ducking an attack from the other. He whirled, jerking his head to the side to avoid another badly aimed strike, then slammed both his daggers into the belly of his enemy. Koji twisted hard, heard the other bandit utter a muted cry of surprise, jerked the weapons out and turned to aid his companions.

The co-leader swore under his breath; the Reikaku bandits were badly outnumbered, at least two-to-one, and even worse, they'd been caught completely unawares. It was like the Akutsuki bandits had _known_ they were going to go on this mission, like they'd been waiting for Koji and his crew to come walking this way, so they could spring out and attack, and kill...

"Pull back!" Koji cried, seeing the youth Yuki take a sword through his neck. One of his throwing knives whizzed in the direction of the young bandit's killer; the man fell immediately, but the damage had already been done. All around him, the co-leader could hear the sounds of the bandits - of _his_ bandits - struggling against the superior numbers of the Akutsuki gang. Struggling valiantly, but ultimately failing. If this continued, they'd be slaughtered. Koji hated losing, but there were some things more important than pride. "There's too many of 'em - pull back, dammit!"

Two more knives flew out of his hands, catching one bandit in the throat and another in the arm. He came up behind another, this one attacking Tadaji, and dealt with him just as swiftly. The co-leader whirled through the clearing, Akutsuki members falling like leaves wherever he went, but he knew it was too little - he was just one man, and the others didn't have the experience to fight under this pressure. Still, if they could push the Akutsuki members back, even for a moment, it would give them some time to...

_Genji-kun! _Koji felt someone shout. He jerked his head to the side, seeing the young bandit battling against three older, bigger enemies. The youth was giving it everything he had, and dealing death to all his attackers, but he couldn't see what Koji could see: he couldn't see the Akutsuki bandit sneaking up behind him, bowed knocked, an arrow aimed straight for the youth's heart...

"Genji-kun!" this time it was Koji's voice that rang through the clearing. He sprinted to his friend's side, knocking the young bandit to the ground just as the arrow left its owner's bow. Koji felt something thud into his side; he didn't give it a second thought, only pulled up enough to toss his fourth throwing knife into the attacker's chest. The man fell without a sound.

Genji looked up from where he sat under Koji, heart pounding, breath coming out in terrified gasps. The look in his eyes switched between adoration and fear, as if he was unsure of which to feel the most, and he couldn't decide which feeling caused the trembling in his voice as he whispered: "K-Koji-sama..."

"Shiiiiiine Die!"

The pair looked up just in time to see a burly bandit come tearing through the forest, sword raised above his head for the strike. Koji rolled out of the way, winced as something jabbed into his side, and stumbled to his feet. He fumbled to find his daggers, but there was something blocking his hand, something that wouldn't let him reach the weapons. The man bore down on him, a bloodlust - the look of a berserker - shining in his eyes.

Someone flew out of the forest, coming to a halt between Koji and the enemy bandit and bringing up his sword to fight. The two blades clanged against each other, the bigger man easily taking the upper hand. The smaller man pulled back, purple hair swishing behind him as he fought with limited skill against the more experienced Akutsuki bandit. "Koji-san!" Ken cried, looking over his shoulder at the co-leader. "You're all right, aren't you?"

"H-hai," Koji replied somewhat shakily, wondering why his legs kept trembling underneath him. His hands finally found his daggers; he drew the weapons, turning and fighting off another of the persistent Akutsuki bandits. "Where're the others? Have they pulled back?"

"Most of them," Ken agreed, gritting his teeth against the big man's attacks. "You and Genji-kun are still here, obviously, and we had to leave poor Yuki where he fell, but otherwise - Ugh!"

Genji looked up from where he was still fighting for breath just in time to see Ken's attacker bring his blade around, finding an opening in the bandit's defenses and swinging in a wide arc, aiming for the man's neck. Ken brought his own weapon up blindly, hoping for a lucky block that he didn't quite achieve - there was a sickening _thunk_, like a knife going through meat, and the bandit's sword clattered to the ground, taking his hand with it.

Koji threw himself at the burly Akutsuki man from behind, cutting him down and whirling to face a new horde of enemies. He glanced over his shoulder at Ken, who had collapsed to the ground in a near faint, clutching what was left of his arm and biting back a scream. "Genji-kun, get him out of here!" the co-leader cried, blocking a series of attacks from one of the enemy bandits. "Get him further onta Reikaku territory, back with th' others! I'll hold 'em off 'till yer safe, then come 'n' join ya!"

Genji glanced from the fallen bandit, then towards Koji, his eyes taking in something the co-leader had failed to notice in the midst of the battle. "But, but Koji-sama..."

"Go!" he cried, jumping back against the vicious attacks of his enemies. "That's an order, Genji!"

The youth, struck dumb by the lack of a suffix, could only nod and scramble to the injured bandit's side. He jerked Ken to his feet - the other man barely reacted, still staring numbly at his injury - and pulled him into the woods. Koji followed close behind, dealing death to any who drew too close. The sheer ferocity of his attacks eventually forced the others to pull back and regroup, which gave the co-leader just enough time to sink his final throwing knife into the throat of a would-be attacker, then disappear into the surrounding foliage. Once he was in the safety of the woods, none would be able to catch him. He knew the Reikaku forests like the back of his hand; though, they did seem a bit fuzzier now than usual...

Koji stumbled out of a particularly thick path of brush, nearly tripping on a root but finding himself steadied by Genji's waiting hands. He blinked, jerking out of the youth's hold. "Genji-kun, I told ya t'get Ken back t'the stronghold!"

"Tadaji's taking him," Genji explained hurriedly, face white with fear, though Koji couldn't figure out why. "The stronghold's not far, anyway. I had to come back for you, though, because I promised Gen-sama, I promised him that you wouldn't... I promised, but I didn't keep it, and oh, Koji-sama, you had to save my life, and now I've got to get you back to the stronghold, it's the only thing I can do now, before... before..."

Koji swayed, shaking his head and trying to keep his balance. "What th' hell're you talkin' about, Genji-kun? What's the rush t'get me back?"

He paled further, grabbing the co-leader's shoulder as he stumbled on weary feet. "Don't you know, Koji-sama?! Didn't you notice?! When you helped me, oh, gods, when you helped me..."

But the youth didn't have to finish his sentence, for at that moment Koji decided to sheath his daggers back in his belt, and found that same object blocking his path, though this time it felt wetter, slicker. He finally glanced down, and nearly fainted at what he saw. The arrow that had been aimed at Genji had missed its mark, but had found another: it was buried nearly halfway in the bandit's side, blood flowing freely around the jagged wound. The pain that he'd been unable to feel in the heat of battle rose up all at once, a torrent of fire that raced from his chest to his abdomen, nearly overwhelming the Reikaku co-leader.

"Oh shit," he whispered, and collapsed into Genji's trembling arms.

---

---

**_We interrupt your regularly scheduled freechat to bring you a public service announcement, as presented by the cast (and author) of "RFS." (And since I tagged this onto the end of a story that isn't in script form, the admins can't bust me! Nya-ha!)_**

_Madame Authoress walks to the center of the small stage (I don't have time to describe it -- just use your imagination!) The curtain behind her is closed. She takes a seat on the edge, looking out and smiling at her small but loyal audience._

DEE: Hello, dear readers. Today I'd like to talk to you about something that I find very important. As you know, the 2004 Presidential election will soon be upon us...

_Everyone under eighteen (i.e. about 90 percent of the readers) start to leave_

DEE: HEY! This is important for you, too! Even us youngsters – remember, I'm not quite seventeen myself – need to be aware of this extremely important election! There are still ways we can get involved, ways we can mobilize the adult population, and—!

CHICHIRI (_who, for the author's purposes, has taken a temporary break from his coma)_:_ (Pokes his head out between the faded blue curtains.) _Psst, Dee-chan no da! You're differing quite a bit from the script no da...

TASUKI: An' I thought you said we'd get t'do some actin'!

DEE: You will Tasuki dearest, rest assured on that. _(Glares)_ And get back behind the curtain! We're trying to create the illusion of the theatre, remember! _(Chichiri and Tasuki scurry back. There are a few moments of crashing and cursing backstage, then all is quiet once again) _Now... as I was saying... oh, right! So I'm going to be talking to you about the importance of voting and getting people you know to "Get out the Vote." Now, I originally intended to inform everyone of the many issues, express my own opinion and try my very hardest to sway you to the side of my personal pick. However, in the interests of _keeping_ my readers, I have decided to stay away from such touchy topics. So I personally shall say nothing about which candidate I support, strictly for business purposes.

_(Tasuki and Koji enter stage left toting a large banner. They step in front of Dee, unrolling it across the edge of the stage so it drapes down and is visible to the audience. Across the banner are the words "KERRY / EDWARDS 2004!" in bright, sparkling blue letters that could quite possibly be seen from space._)

SHUU: _(muttering from backstage)_ Oh sure, she isn't _saying _a word...

DEE: Quiet back there! We must create the illusion! The illuuuusiooooon! (_Can you tell I'm a theatre buff folks? ;) ) _Ah-hem. So now, dear readers, without further ado, the cast of "RFS" presents: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Voting Booth!"

GENJI: _(Singing from backstage) _My ballot, my ballot, come bring to me my-

DEE: AH-HEM!

GENJI: Meep!

_Curtains open. Chichiri enters through a door placed at center stage, spreading his arms and bowing to the audience. _

CHICHIRI: Hello and welcome, readers young and old! Today, we are here to celebrate the gods – the gods of... political awareness no da?

TASUKI: _(from backstage)_ Who wrote this crap!?

DEE: Excuse me?!

_Interlude of crashes from somewhere unseen._

CHICHIRI: Da... I'll be your host for the evening – Chichiri no da! _(Pauses for wild applause from fangirls. Once this has calmed down, we cue the music and the monk begins his first line of singing) _Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone – some candidates, tonight!

_Tasuki and Koji enter. Tasuki, for no particular reason, is representing George Dubya. He is waving an American flag in one hand and brandishing a gun in the other. Koji, for no particular reason, is representing John Kerry. He too waves an American flag in one hand and brandishes three shiny purple hearts in the other (What? I watch "The Daily Show" – I'm not above teasing the person I support!)._

TASUKI: _(Points at Koji). _FLIP-FLOPPER!

KOJI: _(Points at Tasuki.) _DUMBASS!

_They participate in a small slapping-fight. Chichiri coughs to get their attention._

TASUKI: Oh, right. Er-hem! Hi folks, I'm George Dubya. Over th' past four years... tragedy... 9/11... terrorists... (_I'm editing this for space, y'know_...) Outsourcin' is good, the economy is recoverin', we're kickin' ass overseas, gay marriage is icky, our school systems're doin' wonderful, an' tax cuts fer all th' rich people. My opponent's a flip-floppin' pussy. God Bless America.

KOJI: Hello, I'm John Kerry. Over th' past four years... America... tragedy... (_it all starts out the same, don't it?) _Vietnam... Outsourcin' takes away American jobs, deficit an' unemployment is insane, we've royally screwed up overseas, gay marriage is icky but the government doesn't have th' right t'say that, our school systems are in severe trouble, an' tax cuts for th' middle class but not fer th' rich. My opponent is an arrogant moron. God Bless America.

_Next come Shuu and Hikaru. Hikaru, for no particular reason, is representing Dick Cheney, the Flesh-Eating Cyborg. Shuu, for no particular reason, is representing John Edwards, the pretty-boy with the nifty southern drawl. They seem very "into" their roles: Hikaru has put on her very best "grr" face (admittedly, she still looks kinda sweet), and Shuu is trying out a rare and oddly unnerving "cheesy smile" and Carolinian accent._

HIKARU: Rarrrrr!

SHUU: Goooooolly!

HIKARU: Rarrrr!

SHUU: Goooooolly!

HIKARU: Aaaaaaaaargh!

SHUU: ...Jeepers!

DEE: That's a direct quote from "The Daily Show."

CHICHIRI: Now that we've met our candidates, it's time to introduce today's antagonist AND protagonist: the Apathetic Young Adult.

GENJI: _(hops out onto the stage, practically bursting with energy and excitement)_ Right here, te kanjii!

DEE: _(whispering from offstage) _Genji-kun! You're a-pa-the-tic, remember?! Try to act more like a regular young adult, and not like a Genji-kun!

GENJI: (_blush) _Ah... right... _(His posture relaxes considerably, his grin turns into a half-frown, and he shrugs slightly) _Okay, so now I've met you, te... I mean, yo. _(From offstage, Dee groans)_ So why should I vote for either of you? Why should I vote at all?

CHICHIRI: That's a very good question, Apathetic Young Adult-san.

TASUKI: Who _writes_ this crap!?

_The Squeaky Hammer of Doom flies from offstage, slamming into Tasuki's head with a rewarding "SQUEAAAKY!"_

DEE: Doctor Slam strikes again!

CHICHIRI: _(desperately trying to hold the show together) _Da... as I was saying... now Apathetic Young Adult-san, why do you think that there is no reason for you to vote no da?

GENJI: Well, because it isn't going to affect _me._ How is some guy up in the White House going to affect _my_ daily life? One bigwig millionaire or the other, doesn't matter if they're from New England or the Deep South – they're all the same to me.

CHICHIRI: Is that so no da? Well, here are a few fun facts that might change your perspective...

_Enter our minor roles: Hikou and Kouran._

HIKOU: Over the past four years, college costs have risen, in some places by over 20.

KOURAN: _(Starts to run offstage in tears when a few readers start booing, but is ushered and comforted back on by Chichiri, who glares at the audience in a rare look of anger. Silence finally reigns) _And last year, only three out of ten college graduates had jobs. _(Both bow and exit.)_

CHICHIRI: Now both of these candidates want to solve our problems, but both have radically different ways of doing that no da. Since we don't have the time—

SHUU: _(grumbles) _Or the attention spans...

CHICHIRI: –to explain every little detail, we recommend that you visit either George W. Bush dot com, or John Kerry dot com.

TASUKI: _(mutters)_ Now is that George "D-U-B-Y-A," or George "the letter W"...

"_SQUEEEAAAKY!"_

DEE: And yet another direct hit from the Amazing Dr. Slam!

GENJI: Okay, so it _might_ affect my college and job prospects. Fine, fine, you got me _a little_ interested. But that's all temporary stuff, and anyway, it might get solved no matter whose in office. What about the so-called "big issues" – the long-lasting stuff?

CHICHIRI: Yet another good question, Apathetic Young Adult-san. Let's go over a few of those issues together, shall we?

GENJI: We shall, te kan – ah, I mean, my homie. _(Another loud round of groaning from offstage)_

CHICHIRI: Number one: The War on Terror. Or, to put it more accurately: the War in Iraq.

DEE: _(Grumbling from offstage) _Or, to put it MORE accurately: the war that we went into with information that turned out to be false but the administration won't admit that they made a mistake because "Hey! We rid the world of an evil dictator and we're America and we're always right!" but that leader didn't even _possess_ weapons of mass destruction unlike some other crazy leaders I could name and did I mention that this major mistake is resulting in the deaths of thousands of young soldiers most of them American because we didn't get together a _real_ coalition before we just _dove _into this thing with _no_ real plan on how to secure peace in the country and...

HIKARU: _(Enormous sweatdrop) _So much for unbiased, I suppose...

CHICHIRI: _(Continuing over Dee's mutterings) _So do you want to know how it will affect you no da? Well, it's going to affect you an awful lot if the national debt continues to rise and _you're_ generation is left with the bill. Not to mention that there's been muted discussion about reinstating the draft... _(Seeing Genji's widened eyes, he continues) _This, of course, will only be necessary if the cost of the war in both lives and money continues to rise. Both candidates plan to try to stop this, Kerry by bringing more allies in and trying to get the UN's involvement, and Bush by, ah... Dee, what is he planning to do na no da?

DEE: I honestly don't know. I listened to his Acceptance Speech at the RNC and watched the debates, but I never heard a real answer... I guess he's just going to keep doing what he's been doing.

CHICHIRI: Which is...? (_What? Chichiri isn't going to know about modern-day America politics!)_

DEE: If I answer that truthfully, this is going to get ugly. Let's just say he plans to continue with steadfast resolve his determined plans to fight the war on terror.

CHICHIRI: Fair enough no da. And very nicely spoken no da.

DEE: Hey, I'm not _always_ a tactless liberal wiener.

CHICHIRI: Issue Number Two: The economy, which as many of you know has been suffering for a while now. Bush says that the 1.9 million jobs that have been gained in the past years out of the 2 million-ish that were lost prove that his tax-cut plans are working no da. Kerry argues that those jobs that have been gained back pay less and there still aren't nearly enough of them, and continues pointing out that Bush is the very first president to have ever _lost_ jobs while in office. Because we're on a time limit – and because economics confuse Dee-chan – visit the websites we mentioned earlier for more information on their plans no da.

GENJI: Hey, I just remembered! Isn't there supposed to be another candidate, from the Green Party...?

DEE: A VOTE FOR NADER IS A VOTE FOR BUSH!

_Koji and Tasuki finally give up and start throwing things at her to keep her silent._

SHUU: Sad;y, Dee's right. In fact, you may as well just toss your ballot out the window than vote for Nader. There's no conceivable way that he can win. It's not cruelty – it's just the truth.

CHICHIRI: ...Getting back on task, and heading towards some of the more touchy issues: civil liberties, that ever-continuing struggle between ethics and science, between new and old ideas no da. These issues include but are not limited to: stem-cell research, abortion, gay marriage...

GENJI: _(Immediately perks up) _Ooooh? Explain, please!

CHICHIRI: Well you see, in the grand scheme of things, the President is really more of a figurehead. If you really want to learn about what he's going to do, you need to look at his administration, or perhaps more importantly, you need to choose your state Senators and Representatives carefully no da. Most of the big decisions are going to come out of Congress. However, there is one issue where the President has complete authority: the hiring of Supreme Court justices no da.

TASUKI: _(Still in character) _I'm gonna tell you that I'm gonna be lookin' for a justice that'll uphold the constitution, 'cause that's what a good justice does.

KOJI: But previous statements tell us that Bush has been lookin' at some very right-wing judges. This means, ladies 'n' gents, that if Bush is reelected and one of our Supreme Court Justices retires (which is very possible), we'll prob'ly have a conservative majority on the court. An' this sorta decision can impact our lives fer years.

HIKARU: For instance: the ban on gay marriage could become a constitutional amendment, and stem cell research and abortions could be declared illegal.

SHUU: John Kerry plans to elect a moderate, which means most of these issues, while debated, would _not_ become national laws. Most moderates believe that, while these are important, they aren't matters for the government to control. Gay marriage is a state-by-state issue like any other marriage issue, and stem cell research and abortion are a matter of moral beliefs and therefore cannot legally be given a "no!" by the court.

CHICHIRI: _(Acting, as my friends call it, as our "Jewish Moderate")_ It should also be noted that being "Pro-Choice" and being "Pro-Abortion" are two very different things no da. _(Glances at Dee, whose tapping her watch hurriedly)_ However, I'm being informed that we're running low on time, so if you're particularly passionate – or confused – on this issue, she invites you to send her an e-mail.

GENJI: _(Runs up to Tasuki, teary-eyed, completely out of character)_ Tasuki-samaaa! You wouldn't _really_ ban gay marriage, would you? I can't help who I love, it's an emotion, it's just something that happens, and if I truly love someone than I should be able to have the same rights as everyone else! You can't _really_ put a ban on that, right? Right, te kanjiiiiiii?!

TASUKI: _(Mutters) _Get a grip Genji-kun, it's jus' a play.

GENJI: It's not just a play, te kanji! It's my future! I might have to pay off the deficit when I get older or go without certain civil liberties! If I don't choose carefully... if I don't use my voice the way it was meant to be used...

_The music strikes up again, and it looks like Dee might just get in her random musical parody after all._

SHUU: Or dear gods...

GENJI: My voice! My voice! I see that it's my voice!

And I should exercise my pers'nal choice!

I'll vote! I'll vote! And with it I'll denote

My very own view along with countless others too...

TASUKI: Who _writes _this crap!?

_And once more, just for good measure... "SQUEEEEAAAAKY!"_

DEE: _(Joins cast on stage, clapping appreciatively) _Okay, we'll save the audience this experience – though, I must say, you have a surprising DEE-lightful voice, Genji-kun. _(He blushes and skips off, Shuu and Hikaru in his wake. Soon only Dee and the three bishies remain.)_ Well boys, I'd say we did a pretty good job considering I slapped this together in about three hours while under the heavy influence of the recent debate, Mountain Dew, "The Daily Show," and a musical – which, if you at home can name it and name the songs I alluded to, automatically gives you about five hundred Kickassitude Points.

CHICHIRI: _(Glancing through his notes) _I suppose so no da... but Dee-chan, we skipped a lot of issues. Healthcare...

DEE: Oh, right. _(Turns to audience) _Sorry, but I didn't feel I could discuss Healthcare because, quite frankly, I haven't looked into it very much myself. I know both candidates want to make it more accessible but I'm still a little shaky as to the _how. _I watched the debate tonight (Friday), but I'm still a little confused.

CHICHIRI: Education...

DEE: _(Her eyes suddenly flare, her fists tighten, and she grits her teeth into a tense smile) _My parents are both teachers, my aunt is a teacher, and a good number of their close friends are teachers. I have _very _strong opinions on Bush's so-called education policies, so in the interest of avoiding a brawl I decided that we wouldn't touch that topic with a forty-foot pole. Trust me, you don't want to get me started. _(Pauses, then says) _Oh, hey, I told you to talk about the environment.

CHICHIRI: _(His smile is tighter than usual, and his eyebrows are curving in that oh-so-cute-but-slightly-annoyed way) _Trust me, Dee-chan, you really don't want to get _me_ started on that no da.

DEE: Ah... hah... I see... Well, I guess in that case we're about done... _(The cast's cheers are silenced by her next words) _Right after we finish with a few of Dee-chan's Helpful Tips for Choosing Your Candidate and Surviving the Next Month.

ALL: Aaaaaagh!

_They are silenced by a swift glare from Madame Authoress. Tasuki, Koji and Chichiri hurry to the sidelines, where they grab small signs and walk up to stand next to Dee. Her "tips" are punctuated by cards bearing the title of the tip, in italics._

DEE: _Spinning Just Makes You Dizzy. _Avoid listening to news talk shows and political "spin." News talk shows create "talking points," which create labels, which create false impressions. Watch the candidates – not the highlight reel but the actual candidates – in their debates and their speeches, then turn off the TV and make your own decisions. If you want to watch the news, then watch the actual _news_, like Tom Brokaw. He's a good 'un. And of course, watch "The Daily Show" to remind yourself that, in the end, we just can't take ourselves too seriously. When things are this intense, we all need to fall back on our senses of humor and just laugh ourselves silly.

_Don't Weigh Your Opinions on a Broken Scale. _Just because you don't agree with a candidate on one issue doesn't mean you shouldn't support them. Look at all the issues, balance them from importance to unimportance, and figure it out from there. Remember: you may not like what Kerry wants to do about gay rights, but if you think he'll drag our asses out of this debt than you might want to look deeper into things.

_But Hey, Don't Take My Word For It... _This is kind of like rule number one. Its fine to listen to other's opinions – in fact, I think it's vital in order for us to be well-rounded people – but don't just fall immediately under their influence. Do some fact-checking, and keep weighing your own ideas. In the end, maybe changing your ideas _is_ what you decide to do, and that's fine. Just make sure you don't do it simply because you "heard about it somewhere."

_Politics is Politics. _I won't lie to you: I'm passionate about this stuff. But I don't let it affect the rest of my life or relationships. I have plenty of Republican friends. And, as I told one of them when she almost walked off after she saw me with my "Kerry/Edwards" pen: "I may not agree with your political views, but as a person I think you're just dandy!" Have fun discussing the issues, don't get mad about it, and never take any of it personally. Remember, in the end, politics is "the sport of people."

_Politics is Politics: Part Two. _Its politics, not a "Miss Congeniality" contest. It's important that the candidate feels like someone you can trust, but past that it doesn't matter if they're boring or vibrant or quiet or unbearably loud. Politicians are very different in real life, and I'm sure Kerry and Bush are both very nice men outside of the game. So don't worry about Kerry's drooping face or Bush's squinty eyes. Watch the issues – and the smiles. You can tell a surprising lot about a person's character by their smile.

_And For Us Young 'Uns... _Remember kids, just because we can't vote doesn't mean we can't make a difference. Join a young Dems/GOP group. Remind the people in your community to register, and inform them of the issues. Talk to your parents and your older friends. Every little bit helps, and with the election as tight as it is every little vote is certainly going to make an enormous difference.

_Dee takes a moment to proudly glance around, and finally notices that her audience has dozed off. She sighs heavily and starts to trudge offstage. _

CHICHIRI: _(Pats her on the back) _Its okay Dee-chan. See? _(He points to the back row, where one reader is sitting, enthralled by the speeches and ready to act)_

DEE: Heh... every little bit helps, right?

_Curtain closes. END._

**_End Note: If this mini-performance has offended anyone in any way, I would like to sincerely apologize. Most biased remarks were made for humorous purposes, and all other remarks were (or tried to be) as impartial as possible. As has been previously stated, politics is just politics. And I'm also not hinting that my readers are apathetic people with no attention spans -- I think you're all probably very intelligent and aware, and my silly little spiel was no doubt a waste of time because you already knew what I was talking about. I was just trying to prove my point that, indeed, the tiniest flame can spark a bonfire. You just never know._**

_**Best Wishes, and I'll See You In the Next Installment (when I finally end this cliffhanger)!**_

**_Your Ever-Faithful (and Ever-Busy!) Author,_**

_**Dee ;)**_

_**(10/8/04)**_


	23. Verse Four: Yuzurenai Negai

_**Verse Four: Yuzurenai Negai  
-**_**_-Unyielding Wish--_**

"_One day, a selfish voice  
__Humming a song will reach you.  
__And in that very moment  
__This world is going to change."  
__--Tokuyama Hidenori; "For Real"--_

"All right, just hold still for a moment… longer…" Hikaru bit her lip, focusing her magic on stopping the blood flow from Ken's wrist while Shuu tied a thick bandage around the stump. The younger Asatenshi sister gave the cloth a final tug, then pulled her blood-stained hands away from the injury. Hikaru relaxed visibly, flashing Ken a tiny smile. "All finished," she assured him. "Thank you for staying so still. You were very brave."

The new Reikaku member forced a weak smile, collapsing onto the pallet beneath him. "I suppose I never really _needed _that hand, anyway. Arigatou, Hikaru-san."

Shuu scowled at her sister as she followed her to the next bandit, though this one's injuries were far lighter. She lugged a load of bandages in her arms while her sister carried a variety of salves. "Hey, how 'bout I handle the magic this time and you do the grunt work? I'm covered in blood and I'm sick of always getting the dirty jobs."

"Oh, Nee-san, I'm in no better condition," Hikaru reminded her severely, gesturing to her bloodied sleeves and dress. "My healing magic is stronger than yours, you know that. And besides, we hardly have time for arguing - we're the only people in this stronghold with knowledge of medicines, besides perhaps Genji-kun, but he isn't here so we…" she trailed off, biting her lip and frowning. "Speaking of Genji-kun, where in heaven's name is he? Tadaji said he went back to wait for Koji-san, but I can't imagine it would have taken _this_ long-"

"Hi-ka-ru-saaaaaaaaaan!"

The two sisters glanced at one another, then towards the entrance of the makeshift infirmary just in time to see Genji barge through the doors. He stopped in the doorway, breathing heavily as he fought to retain his hold on the bandit that was practically slung over his shoulder. The wounded man, an arrow lodged in his side, seemed conscious, but just barely; he glanced up a little, his half-closed hazel eyes peeking through a mop of messy dark hair.

Hikaru gasped as she realized the identity of Genji's companion. "Oh, dear mother! Koji-san!" the young woman sprang into action, dropping the salves from her arms and rushing to help Genji with the older bandit. She grabbed his other arm somewhat forcefully, looping it over her shoulder. Koji tried to push her away, saying something about helping the other bandits first, but Hikaru ignored his weak protests and led the pair of men towards a spare pallet. Careful not to jerk him around too much lest she aggravate his injury even more, the Asatenshi woman set him down.

Once settled, the young woman took in his injury, biting her lip at the depth the arrow had traveled. She set her hands against the wound, ignoring the blood that stained them, and closed her eyes. After a moment she looked up again, still frowning but looking hopeful. "It didn't hit anything vital," she said aloud, more to herself than to Genji. "If we get the arrow out quick, and stop the bleeding just as fast, then we might—"

Koji grabbed Hikaru's arm, cutting her off in mid-sentence. The Asatenshi sister met his tired eyes, surprised at the fire that still burned in them. He struggled with his words for a minute, torn between the mind-consuming pain and the thousands of thoughts spinning through his head. "Hikaru-san… Ken-kun, the others… did they…?"

She smiled gently, understanding his question. "Yes, Koji-san, they all returned safely."

"And Genrou…?"

"Not back yet," she replied, eyes flashing worry for a moment. She regained her composure quickly, noticing that Koji looked like he might try to stand. "But I'm sure they're fine. Tasuki will look after everyone just as you looked out for your group. What's important right now is that we help _you_, so please relax and let Shuu-chan and I take care of everything."

The Reikaku bandit seemed to accept this answer; whatever strength he'd had left deserted him, and he slumped into Genji's arms. The youth looked up, face etched with fear, as he tried to keep the tremor out of his voice. "Hikaru-san, he's really going to be okay, right?"

"Yes, so long as we… Shuu-chan!" the older sister whirled, barking out the sudden command to her younger sibling. "Come here, quick! This job is going to take the both of us."

Shuu, who hadn't moved since Koji's arrival, turned slowly, blinking at her sister as if in a daze. Her eyes traveled slowly from Hikaru, then to Genji, and finally to the injured Reikaku co-leader. At the sight of the older bandit, something curiously alien appeared in the young woman's eyes, an emotion that Genji couldn't read and Koji, if he'd been able to see it, would have been amazed at; it almost looked like concern. Concern for what, it was impossible to tell, but there was most definitely a flicker of fear and worry in her harsh emerald eyes.

"Shuu-chan," Hikaru said again, softer this time, and with a hidden meaning behind her words. "Please. For whatever reasons, this is one thing we both want to save."

That did the trick. Shuu closed her eyes and shook her head hard; when she looked back up again, her usual sharp look was back in place. "Okay," she said with a forced amount of strength, as if trying to prove that her previous moment of weakness had been an accident. "What do you need me to do?"

"We have to get the arrow out," the older woman explained quickly, "but we have to make sure not to kill him in the process. I'm going to try and work my magic around the weapon, and into the wound, as sort of a barrier; see if I can't protect him from further blood loss and any organ damage. As soon as the arrow's out, I should be able to patch the injury up before my magic wears off, if I work quickly." She paused, glancing upwards with a sort of desperate pleading in her orbs. "I need you to pull the arrow out, and I need it to be done fast and smooth. If it jerks around even slightly, we'll lose him. It has to be pulled _straight_ _out_, do you understand, Shuu-chan?"

"I'm not a novice, you know," the younger sister snapped. But her toughness was forced, and her underlying urgency was apparent. "I know damn well what I'm doing, so shut up and let's get it done."

"Hikaru-san…"

That was Genji, unable but anxious to help. The Asatenshi sister flashed him the tiniest of smiles, nodding towards his current job of holding Koji upright. "Just keep that up, Genji-kun. He's going to need someone to hold him steady."

Shuu shoved a wad of cloth in the youth's direction. "Here. Stuff this in his mouth. I don't want him biting off his tongue in the process." She looked down at the half-conscious co-leader, an almost-grin on her face. "Not that I wouldn't _enjoy_ him as an eternal mute, of course."

Her gaze turned back to her sister, who began pouring a good flow of emerald magic into the bandit's wound. Koji relaxed visibly, his face regaining some of his color, no doubt due to the sister's touch and the cooling effect of her powers. Shuu frowned, knowing the co-leader's peace would be short-lived; and how fitting, that she would be the one to break the tranquility. "All ready, Nee-san?"

Hikaru nodded, cupping her hands on either side of the wound. "Ganbare yo Go for it, Shuu-chan." The Asatenshi sister braced herself, looking down at Koji's pale face and frowning sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she warned, "but this is going to hurt."

"That's an understatement," Shuu growled, and with a swift wrench jerked the arrow from the bandit's side.

Koji let out a muffled grunt of pain, but otherwise made no movement. Genji fussed at the older man's side, doing his best to keep him comfortable while the sisters continued their tasks. Shuu set to work removing the bandit's ripped and bloodied shirt from his body while Hikaru busily dressed the wound. The two sisters worked silently, neither needing words to understand what was needed; they knew how to save a person from death, just as well as they knew how to condemn one to the same fate.

"Finished," Hikaru stated, at the same time Shuu declared: "Done!"

Genji let out a sigh of relief, setting Koji gently down on the pallet. The older bandit immediately collapsed into a troubled sleep, breathing heavily but already regaining some of his color. The youth glanced up, fear still evident in his eyes. "He's going to be okay? He, he's really going to be all right?"

"All right?" Hikaru met her sister's eyes, and for a brief instant there was a flash of understanding and camaraderie that passed between the two young women. The elder Asatenshi nodded, her tone sounding neither grateful nor remorseful. "Yes, Genji-kun. I can't be certain just yet, but I believe he'll survive."

Shuu said nothing; she only stared hard into her sister's emerald eyes, as if trying to find the answer to an impossible question buried somewhere within the orbs. After a long moment, Hikaru stood to attend to some other patients, and Shuu looked away, back to the injured co-leader. "Baka," she grumbled once her sister had left. "How'd it happen, anyway? He try to pull some daring rescue so he could get ego points?"

Genji blinked. "Huh? I don't understand."

"What'd the moron do to get himself hurt so successfully?"

"Oh," Genji's face took on a sort of glow, like a young lover speaking fondly of his sweetheart. "We ran into an ambush, as I'm sure you knew, and Koji-sama, Koji-sama wanted to make sure everyone got out safely, so he was trying to stay out front… but he saw me, and I was fighting off three big guys all at once, and I didn't see this man behind me, but Koji-sama did, and he… and Koji-sama, he, he knocked me out of the way, to… to save me, he was so brave, and then-"

"Okay, okay," Shuu interrupted, the disgust in her voice growing even more obvious. "I get the idea, lover-boy. Why don't you go help my sister with some of her little medicines? I'm sick of bandaging up all these whining bandits."

The youth looked from the Asatenshi woman to Koji, his lower lip quivering. "But, but Koji-sama, he's… and I should… and what if he…"

"Oh, for gods' sake, I'll keep an eye on the stupid bastard for you if it'll make you feel better!" Shuu snapped. Still seeing the hesitant look on his face, the young woman sighed. "Look, I'll call you right over if he looks like he's gonna croak, but I can tell you right now he'll be fine. Everyone knows it's damn near impossible to kill an idiot."

Genji frowned at this remark, but decided not to argue. Besides, he preferred Hikaru's company to Shuu's any day of the week. He stood and hurried off after the older Asatenshi sister, sparing a few backwards glances at his mentor and friend. Shuu rolled her eyes at his behavior, thoroughly sick of all the fuzzy romance floating around the stronghold these days.

"I should have let you die, you know," she grumbled at the unconscious co-leader. "_She_ knew it, too. It was the one thing we agreed on, and for the same reasons. However," she added quietly to herself, "neither of us could. For whatever purpose..." She trailed off, her lips hovering somewhere between a grim frown and a wry smile. "Well, I guess it wouldn't have been nearly as interesting that way, now would it?"

---

Less than an hour later another group of bandits stomped into the stronghold, though this gang looked much more pleased than Koji's bedraggled squad. Tasuki led the way, his arms placed confidently behind his head as he loudly congratulated his team on their success. "Ha, you'd-a thought they'd put up a bigger fight, wouldn't'cha? Ah, but they were evenly matched with us, an' I always knew those Akutsuki bastards were cowards at heart - couldn't face us in a fair fight, no way, no how."

"Odd that they didn't have a larger group guardin' their stronghold," Ryo, the somber new bandit, mentioned thoughtfully. "We prob'ly could've marched right in an' taken over."

"Yeah, I'd-a loved t'do that," Tasuki agreed somewhat wistfully. "But we said we'd come back, an' I wouldn't want Koji t'miss out on th' fun-a whippin' those jerks…" the Reikaku leader trailed off, noticing the stillness of the stronghold's main room. "Hey, where is everybody?" he asked aloud, with more curiosity than concern.

"Still scoutin'?" Soshu suggested with a shrug.

"No, they had a shorter route. They shoulda been back by now…" At that moment Hikaru came hustling into the main room, a look of worry on her face. "Hikaru," he called, waving her over, "where is everybody? And what's-" Tasuki stopped, noticing the patches of blood that spotted the Asatenshi woman's sleeves and skirt. He felt fear rise in his chest, and fought to keep the tremor out of his voice. "What happened?"

Hikaru looked up to answer his question, but the action seemed to deplete her reserves of strength; the sister swayed on her feet, reaching out for a nearby table for support. Tasuki caught her gently by the arm, helping the weakened sister steady herself as she quietly explained. "The other group ran into some trouble. An ambush, of some sort. I don't know the details - Genji-kun can tell you more about it."

"How are they?" Tasuki asked, forcing down his fear. He had to look strong in front of the others. If nothing else, they had to feel his courage, even if it was a charade. "Is everyone - are they-?"

"Yuki-san was killed in the battle," Hikaru answered evenly. "Seki-san, Akito-san, Fumitsu-san, and Tetsuo-san sustained minor injuries. Junpei-san was hit by a few arrows and lost a lot of blood, but he'll survive. Ken-san unfortunately lost his left hand, nothing life threatening, and he's handling it well. Tadaji-san, Ieyasu-san, and Genji-kun are all unhurt." The sister opened her mouth to say something else, but then stopped and turned her eyes to the ground.

Tasuki's own eyes widened as he realized the one name she had failed to mention. "And Koji?!" he demanded. The sister said nothing, and the bandit gripped her arm harder. "_Hikaru_, what about Koji?"

"Koji-san… took an arrow in his side," she finally answered, voice barely audible. "I don't think he even noticed it, in the heat of the battle, but Genji-kun did and made sure he got out of there." She looked up, but there was no joy in her eyes. "They arrived safely. And Shuu-san and I were able to get the arrow out with little trouble. Demo But…"

"Demo?"

"But that was nearly an hour ago. He hasn't stirred at all, not since he arrived. I think he might be feverish, and I worry…"

The Asatenshi sister trailed off, but there was no need for her to finish her sentence. Tasuki released his hold on the young woman and stormed across the stronghold, making a beeline for the makeshift infirmary. The bandit burst through the door, causing half the patients to jump in alarm, then give startled cries of pain. He hardly noticed them, or the young Asatenshi sister and bandit hovering near Koji's bed; Tasuki's eyes were fixed on only one person in the room, and it was the one person who _hadn't_ reacted to his entrance.

Tasuki knelt down beside Koji's pallet, practically knocking Shuu out of the way in his haste. His eyes roved over his companion quickly, instantly noting the paleness of his skin, the beads of sweat that traced his forehead, and the way his eyes and hands twitched unintentionally, flinching against the pain.

"Koji," he murmured, fighting to find his breath. Fighting to keep from panicking. Fighting, hoping, praying, not knowing what to do, not knowing how to handle this, how to deal with this, with what had happened, with the possibility of what might happen.

No. Not that. Couldn't think about that. Not about the _mights _and the _maybes. _Not now. Not ever. Especially not now, not when Koji was… when Koji was…

Koji was all he had left. Koji was the only one, the only one who hadn't - and he, he had let him go off on his own, had let them be separated, knowing they needed each other to survive; he had taken that risk for the sake of his own pride! How could he have possibly been so _stupid?!_

All traces of Tasuki's previous composure were gone. His courage had disappeared. His pride had disappeared. Even his concern about the stronghold vanished in that instant. To hell with courage. To hell with pride. And to hell with the stronghold. None of that mattered, not if Koji was gone, not if the last person left to look out for him, to keep him safe, to keep him from failing, from failing like he always did when it was just him, when there was no one there to help… if that person died, then there was nothing.

If Koji died, then there was nothing.

Koji could not die.

Koji _could not die!_

"Koji, c'mon, you gotta wake up'r somethin'," Tasuki practically ordered. "You can't… I mean, you ain't…" he gripped the bandit's shoulders, shaking him a little without even realizing he was doing it. "Say somethin', okay? T'let me know yer all right, that you ain't gonna…" he barked out a small, panicked laugh that nearly broke into a sob. "Ya don't even gotta move much, just say _somethin_'."

One of the co-leader's eyelids twitched, just slightly. His lips moved, forming an inaudible word. "What?" Tasuki asked, voice a frightened whisper. "I, I can't hear ya…" Again, Koji's lips moved, ever so slightly. Tasuki leaned in closer, wondering for a fleeting, terrifying moment if this would be the last time his friend would ever speak to him. "Once more… c'mon, once more… what is it?"

"I been askin'," Koji grumbled again, this time quite clearly, "fer some sake. 'Cause there ain't any reason fer me t'talk if I gotta do it while I'm in this much pain." He opened one eye, a tiny smile flickering across his face. "I do got a freakin' hole in my side, y'know."

"Koji-sama!" Genji cried, practically collapsing to the ground in relief. "You're all right, te kanjii!"

"'Course I'm all right. You didn't think I'd let those Akutsuki bastards kill me like that, did'ja?" Koji hoisted himself into a sitting position, wincing visibly but never once losing his grin. "Nah, that ain't the death fer me. It ain't nearly dramatic enough. If I'm gonna go, it's gotta be a lot fancier'n that. Flames, armies, demons, damsels in distress: the stuff legends're made out of. Ain't that right, Gen-"

Koji never finished his sentence, for at that moment Tasuki enveloped him in a tight embrace. The Reikaku leader gripped him fiercely, not saying anything for several seconds, only holding his friend as if he had to convince himself that Koji was real. The co-leader winced at the tight hold, which only aggravated his injury, but was too shocked to protest. "Ge… Genrou…?"

"You idiot…" he hissed. "You damned fool." He pulled back, still clenching his companion's shoulders. "All ya had t'say was 'I'm all right, Genrou,' instead-a pullin' that whole death routine! An' dammit all, don't joke about how yer gonna die! Not when it nearly happened - not when you almost - an' all 'cause I, and I didn't…" Tasuki knew he wasn't making any sense, but he didn't care. Just like everything else, that didn't matter right now. "I thought - son of a bitch, Koji, this time, this time I really thought it was gonna happen, that I was really gonna lose ya, that you were gonna leave me, an' it was gonna be just like the other times, just like all those other times…"

The co-leader's eyes softened visibly. "Shit, Genrou, I'm sorry," he apologized, and meant it. "I didn't know ya was… but, look, ya don't gotta worry about me. I ain't gonna leave ya, not without a harder fight'n that."

Tasuki shook his head, managing a weak smile. "Yeah, I know. It was jus', fer a moment there…"

Someone in the room whimpered, bringing both bandits sharply back to reality. They glanced up, realizing that everyone in the infirmary - which was about half the stronghold by now - was watching them, and more than a few were shooting them curious glances. Genji, looking quite moved by the incident, had been the one to draw them out of their private universe with his small noise of emotion.

Almost simultaneously, Koji and Tasuki jerked away from one another, coughing nervously and puffing out their chests. Tasuki slapped Koji on the back as hard as he could without injuring him, while at the same time attempting to keep at least three feet in between them.

"So, uh, once ya start feelin' better," Tasuki began loudly, forcing a large grin on his face. "Maybe I'll take ya down t'the city an' we can get good 'n' drunk!"

"Yeah," Koji agreed, just as loudly and with just as big of a smile. "An' once we're totally smashed, we can go, uh, screw some whores!"

"An' pick some fights an' kick some ass!"

"Hell yeah!"

They continued to chuckle nervously until the rest of the occupants in the room, sweatdrops present, shook their heads and went back to their previous tasks. Tasuki sighed with relief once the attention had been turned away from he and his friend, but decided that a three-foot distance was still necessary. He clapped Koji lightly on the shoulder, standing as he did. "Listen, all gooey talk aside, I'm glad yer all right. Get some rest, okay? I'm gonna go check on th' others."

"Yeah, I was plannin' on it." Koji winced as he settled back on his pallet, but was determined not to let on how much the wound in his side pained him. He didn't want Tasuki and the others to worry any more. "I still want that bottle-a sake, though," he grumbled as his bandit friend departed.

Hikaru, who had followed Tasuki into the makeshift infirmary, chuckled at Koji's final comment. "I think I can manage that."

The older Asatenshi woman turned to fetch the desired drink, but the co-leader's voice stopped her. "Oi, Hikaru-san. About earlier, when you 'n' Shuu-san… when ya saved my life?" Koji fought down both a blush and a goofy grin, feeling extremely ridiculous. After a moment's struggle, he managed to put on a small, more appropriate smile. "Well, I wanted t'say thanks. Thanks fer everythin' you've done fer all of us, really. So, jus' thanks a lot."

Hikaru looked modestly down at her feet. "No need to thank me, Koji-san. This is just my way of repaying everyone for their kindness towards my sister and me." She turned again to go, but stopped as she reached the door. She looked back for a moment, a tiny smile on her attractive features. "But I am very glad you are safe, Koji-san."

Now Koji did let the goofy smile appear, but thankfully the Asatenshi sister had already left the room.

---

"Koji-sama, do you need something to drink?"

"I'm okay, Genji-kun."

"How about something else to eat?"

"Nah, this is plenty fer me, Genji-kun."

"Some blankets? Some medicine? Some company? A massage?"

"Thanks, but - now, why th' hell would I want a massage?"

"It just seemed like a good thing to ask, te kanjii!"

The Reikaku co-leader sighed at his younger friend. While he appreciated Genji's concern, the youth's eagerness to help was starting to wear on his nerves. It didn't help that his injury was aggravating him a lot more than he'd ever let on, which only made his patience thinner. Koji decided that now would definitely be a good time to be alone - or, at the very least, away from Genji. "Listen, Genji-kun, thanks fer lookin' out fer me 'n' all, but you ain't eaten dinner yet. Why don't'cha join th' others at th' table an' relax, all right? It's been a really rough day fer all of us."

The younger bandit's lower lip quivered a little. He cupped his hands under his chin, watching Koji with big, purple eyes. "You're… you're sure you'll be okay, all the way over here by yourself, Koji-sama?"

Koji sweatdropped. Many of the injured bandits had been moved into the main room for dinner, so they could be near their companions. Although Hikaru had insisted that Koji stay in the infirmary, the older bandit had been persistent and eventually gotten his way. The dining tables were only halfway across the room, now. "Yeah, I think I can manage," he replied dryly.

Genji nodded, seemed to be on the verge of embracing his friend, then pulled himself together and scurried off. Once he was comfortably seated between Tadaji and Sasaki, Koji breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could relax and enjoy some solitude.

_That was handled well._

The bandit's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He jerked his head up, searching for the speaker, but saw no one. The closest bandits were Ken and Ryo - Ken had been moved out as well - but they were a good distance away and talking quietly to one another. And anyway, it wasn't their voices he had heard. This one was different. Secretive. Alien. Yet… familiar. Somehow, it was familiar. And, quite suddenly, Koji knew why.

"Okay," he whispered. "Jus' who th' hell are you?" Silence greeted him, so the co-leader jerked his head to the side, snarling more impatiently. "C'mon, ya've been hissin' at me fer two straight days; it's no use hidin' now!"

There was a small, friendly chuckle deep inside the bandit. _Sharp as always. I shouldn't have expected less._

"Answer my question," he growled, trying to keep his voice low while his eyes desperately searched for the speaker. "What are ya? What d'you want from me?!"

_I'm you, of course._

"Bullshit."

_Hardly. Maybe I'm not you, exactly, but I'm a part of you. A part of you that's always been sleeping, until now. As for what I want, well, if I'm you, then I simply desire the same things _you_ desire. Respect. Recognition. Hikaru._

Koji paused for a moment, trying to digest this tidbit of information. He very quickly decided that he couldn't possibly digest something like this, and put a hand against his forehead, sweatdropping. "Holy hell, I never thought I'd start losin' it. Hearin' voices already? And what's worse is this one actually makes sense."

_Think of me as a product of madness if you wish, but I can assure you that you're not mad._

"Yeah, 'cause sane guys hear people whisperin' around in their heads all the time." Koji leaned his forehead against his hand, wondering why he was even talking to this crazed figment of his imagination. Still, he had to agree that insanity was an unlikely excuse for the sudden hissed suggestions. Maybe it was the fever; it did seem like it was getting a little worse. Or maybe he hadn't been getting enough sleep, and it was making him hear things. Yes, that was possible.

_You're fever _is _worsening, and you _haven't_ been getting enough sleep, but that's hardly a rational reason to hear voices. And if you really think you're in the thralls of madness, then you certainly are the sanest madman I've ever encountered. _

The bandit jumped, completely taken aback by the stranger's words. He hadn't spoken any of his theories out loud! "How-?"

But before Koji could ask his surprised question, the speaker - if indeed it was another entity and not just the act of a deranged mind - answered. _You don't have to speak out loud, you know; I can hear your thoughts just as well as your words._

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

_Of course it does. I already told you: I _am_ you, or at least a part of you. A very important part of you, and one that can lead you to great heights, if you're willing to walk unfamiliar path. _He paused, then added quickly, _And not so loud. Someone's coming._

"Eh?" Koji turned and was overtaken by a wave of dizziness. He clasped a hand across his eyes, leaning forward as he waited for the room to stop spinning. The wound in his side burned from the sudden movement; he gave a muffled groan at his discomfort, but made sure to keep his voice down. He didn't want the others to see him like this. Tasuki might have a heart attack if he did.

"Huh, I knew it," a dry female voice growled near his ear. "It figures an idiot who's dumb enough to get shot would also be too stupid to realize when he needs help. Lucky for that idiot, the people he's surrounded by aren't all as brainless as he is."

The dizzy spell quelled, Koji looked up, meeting the impatient emerald eyes of the younger Asatenshi woman. "Shuu-san?" He turned his gaze to a steaming cup in her hands. "Hm?"

"Here," she snapped, shoving the mixture at him.

Koji eyed the strange concoction. "What is it?" he asked, sniffing cautiously.

"Its tea, you moron," she answered with her usual amount of scorn. "Nee-san put some of her magic into it. I added a few herbs and a little of my own magic. It tastes like shit, but it'll lower that fever and help with the pain."

"Thanks," the co-leader muttered, tasting the liquid to see if it was really as bad as Shuu said. To Koji's pleasant surprise, the tea was actually very good, if not a bit bitter. He sipped at it with vigor, feeling its affect almost immediately; already, his injury seemed to be less of a burning pain and more of a dull, somewhat annoying throb.

The Asatenshi sister cleared her throat, eyes focused on a spot on the floor. "Hey, listen…" she said quietly, her voice unusually repentant.

Koji glanced up, unused to such a tone coming from the Asatenshi sister's mouth. He paused in his drinking, watching her with curiosity. "Uh, yeah?"

"Genji-kun told us about what happened. About how you saved his life and all, and then how you stayed back until everyone was out. I figured the only reason you went out there was to get some glory, so you could come back home and show it off for your precious little crush, but… when you came in today, half-dead and still worried about everyone else…" She glared at him, voice rising angrily, as if it was his fault she was saying all this. "Don't get me wrong or anything! You're still the biggest, most hopeless, most annoying idiot I've ever met! It's just…"

She opened her mouth to finish her sentence, then stopped, then opened it again, then stopped once more. Koji couldn't decide if she was choosing her words, or choosing whether to say them at all. Finally, she looked away, grumbling under her breath. "Anyway, I may have misjudged you. Maybe. A little."

The bandit blinked a few times. A very tiny smile started to twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Am I hearin' things?" he asked teasingly. "Did Asatenshi Shuu-san - _the_ Asatenshi Shuu-san - just _apologize_ to someone? Is that even _possible_?"

"It wasn't an apology!" Shuu snapped. "I never said 'I'm sorry,' did I?! Because I'm not sorry, I've never been sorry for anything I've ever said or done, and I never will be!"

Koji grinned his most devilish, finding that he rather enjoyed annoying Shuu for a change, instead of the other way around. "Well, yer almost-sorry, an' that's good enough fer me! See? I told ya we weren't all th' bastards ya thought we were." That was enough for now, he decided. The Asatenshi woman looked like she was about to blow a hole through his head. It was time to change the subject. "But hey, as long as we're bein' civil to each other, I guess I oughta thank you fer earlier. You 'n' Hikaru saved my life, an'," he nodded towards the tea in his hands, "yer still helpin' me out." Well, maybe _one_ more little teasing comment wouldn't hurt. "Fer someone who thinks I'm disgustin', ya sure ain't willin' t'see me die, are ya?" He grinned, winking at the young woman. "Keep this up an' I might start thinkin' ya got a crush on me."

"That isn't it at all." Shuu's voice faded from apologetic - even faded from annoyed - and sounded only very cold and far away. "So don't get the wrong idea or anything. It's not like I like you or anything. But I told you already," she reminded him, emerald eyes never once meeting his hazel ones, "there's just no reason for you to die yet."

Koji's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of extreme confusion. Shuu had always seemed cold and untouchable, but for a brief moment she seemed even more than that. It was like she was from a different world, from a different universe entirely. It was like she wasn't even human. The co-leader didn't know what to say to something like that; it scared him, but more than that, it worried him. Because he hadn't forgotten that glowing crystal in her room just yet…

"Ch, how disgusting."

The co-leader snapped out of his private thoughts, jerking his head in Shuu's direction. The young woman, back to her normal bitter self, watched something at the dinner table. Koji followed her gaze, his eyes landing on the far side of the room where Tasuki and Hikaru sat together. Tasuki was looking down dejectedly, muttering something that Koji couldn't decipher. His hand gripped his chopsticks angrily; whatever he was saying, he certainly didn't seem happy about it. The Asatenshi woman touched a hand lightly on top of his, speaking as if to comfort him. Tasuki looked up as she was halfway through her words, meeting her eyes and watching her with several emotions, some which even he probably wasn't aware of but which Koji understood perfectly. And he didn't like it at all.

"They're both idiots," Shuu grumbled, standing and putting her hands behind her head. She glanced over her shoulder at the bandit co-leader, noting the fire building behind his eyes. "Though," she added dryly, "if they're such idiots, and you still chase one and defend the other, I suppose that makes you the biggest idiot of all, ne?"

"It - it doesn't mean anything," Koji told her, fumbling for some kind of excuse, some kind of rational explanation. "Today's been tough, what with th' attack 'n' all, an' Genrou always takes that kind of thing personally. He's upset - he blames himself. Now, now see, normally _I'd_ be over there cheerin' him up, but since I'm hurt, well… well Hikaru's jus' a nice person, an' she's tryin' t'make him feel better. She's bein' a good friend. That's all. _That's all_."

Shuu stared at him for a moment, waiting for a certain sort of reaction. That reaction, depending upon what it was, depending upon whether Koji accepted the hard facts, or chose to fight against them… whatever the case, it would either begin the process or hurriedly halt it. Nothing happened just yet, so Shuu spoke. "You really oughta just give her up, you know that? You'll just get hurt if you don't." She sighed, moving away but still watching him carefully. "But who am I to talk, right? I don't know the first thing about love…"

Finally, something flared in Koji's eyes. It was delayed, and weak, but it was there all the same. Fierce and raw and powerful, though perhaps not fully manifested, it was the fire of challenge. He wasn't going to give anything up, not yet. Perhaps not ever. It had been expected. And it was all she needed to see. The Asatenshi woman turned and walked away, her face never once revealing her thoughts.

Things were going to get very, very interesting.

---

Small tufts of clouds darted across the moon that evening, casting scattered shadows against the forests and plains of Mount Reikaku. Most of the bandits had long since fallen asleep, lulled by a mixture of sake, exhaustion and the soft sounds of the wind whistling around the stronghold. Even a few of the men on watch duty had drifted off into a light doze, their partners promising to awaken them if something interesting happened.

One young bandit had made such a promise to his female companion, and now watched her carefully, checking to see if she truly was asleep. The youth waved a hand in front of her face, whistled, then snapped his fingers a few times to see if he could get her attention. There was no response; she didn't even flinch. He grinned triumphantly and began to stand, creating as little noise as possible. The pines that surrounded the stronghold rustled in the winter breeze; the bandit froze, his eyes on his watch partner. Still, she didn't move. His smile returned; the mountain could collapse and she'd be none the wiser. He started to tiptoe quietly away, off on his own private business…

"Where do you think you're going, Genji-kun?"

"Eep!" the young bandit froze, jaw dropping as he turned towards the sound of the voice. "Hi-Hi… Hikaru-san?! I thought you were taking a nap!"

The Asatenshi woman stood, chuckling at the bandit's surprise. "I will admit, it _was_ hard keeping still when you blew in my face, but I do pride myself on my ability to keep my composure under all circumstances." She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him accusingly. "Besides, I wanted to see why you were in such a hurry for me to fall asleep. Trying to sneak off? Perhaps to check on a certain injured someone?"

Genji clenched his fists at his sides, justifying his action with a passion. "But what if his fever gets worse or his injury starts hurting and he needs someone's attention but he's all alone in his room and he can't even call for help and the next thing we know he's really really really in trouble and this time you can't save him and it'd be all my-"

"Genji-kun?"

"H-hai?!"

"Please calm down. I already told you, Koji-san is going to be just fine. He had a good dinner and drank at least a few cups of Shuu's tea, so that will easily keep the fever and the pain down. What he really needs right now is a good night's rest, something he wouldn't be able to achieve if you kept sneaking into his room and waking him up."

Genji sighed in resignation, plopping down on the ground with the Asatenshi woman. "Hai, Hikaru-san," he muttered somewhat unhappily. He looked up, an idea forming in his mind. "But maybe if _you_ checked on him-"

A very small sweatdrop began to appear on the Asatenshi woman's head. "Genji-kun…"

"Well, you're a lot quieter than I am, and you have your magic so you could do it quicker, te kanjii! Plus, well, if you accidentally woke him up I don't think he'd mind at all-" the youth gulped, realizing what he was hinting at, then decided that it was really no secret anyway and continued. "Koji-sama really likes you, you know."

This time Hikaru was the one to sigh. "Yes," she agreed unhappily, "I know it all too well, Genji-kun."

"I think… I think he's even in love with you." Genji watched her carefully, but the Asatenshi woman made no move to respond. The youth persisted. "Neeeee, Hi-ka-ru-saaaaan, I _said_-"

"I heard you. I just… I just didn't want to answer, is all."

"But doesn't that make you happy? Knowing that somebody loves you, te kanjii?"

"It would make me much happier if it was a different someone," she answered. The sister frowned, drawing her knees to her chest and watching a blade of grass sway in the wind. "I've known that for a while now, Genji-kun, or at least I had guessed at it. But… but I just… Koji-san is a nice person, and I truly enjoy his company, don't misunderstand me, it's only…"

"You only think of him as a friend, ne?"

Another nod. "I've been trying to get him to understand that as well, only he is very stubborn and equally persistent. And I don't have the courage to come right out and say something like that - I wish I did, but somehow I feel like that would hurt him even more. And I don't particularly _want_ to hurt him, you see…" Hikaru's frown deepened, and for a brief moment Genji wondered if she was only thinking about love, or about something much bigger and more complex. "I just hope the subject never comes up. Maybe, given enough time, Koji-san will simply fall _out_ of love with me."

"I hope so," Genji agreed quietly.

Hikaru glanced at the bandit out of the corner of her eye, a small smile twitching on her lips. "I can imagine why _you'd_ think so, Genji-kun." She giggled as the young bandit blushed bright red, watching her with wide purple eyes. "It would be a lot easier to win him over if he wasn't looking at anyone else, deshou?"

"Eh?" The youth blinked, then shook his head fiercely. "Oh, no, Hikaru-san, that isn't it at all, te kanjii!"

"It isn't? But aren't you in love with Koji-san?"

Genji poked his index fingers together, looking down at the ground as he fought to speak coherently. "Well, yes, I mean, I am and all, and that isn't it exactly, it's just…" he looked up again, though his eyes never met Hikaru's. Rather, he turned his gaze outwards to the surrounding trees, smiling at the thought of the older bandit. "I do love Koji-sama, Hikaru-san. But… but I know he doesn't feel the same way about me. And it seems to me, that when you chase after something you can never get, it just brings pain to everyone. I don't want to bring pain to Koji-sama, and if I did, then that isn't really love, right? Because, because loving someone means you always want them to be happy no matter what, and to do everything you can so that person _can _always be happy. Right? Isn't that right, Hikaru-san?"

"Perhaps it is, Genji-kun."

"So, for me, I guess… I guess it doesn't really matter if Koji-sama loves me back or not. If I can be near him, and watch him live with a smile, even if that smile is never directed at me… then, then that's okay. For me, that's okay." He turned his head, meeting the Asatenshi woman's eyes for the first time since he'd begun speaking. "That's why… why I wish he'd fall out of love with you, Hikaru-san. Because ever since you came here, he's been different. And I don't like it. I don't like seeing Koji-sama different like this."

Hikaru was silent for several seconds. After a moment, she turned her eyes away from his, and there seemed to be honest repentance in her tone. "…I'm sorry, Genji-kun. Ever since Nee-san and I showed up, all we've done is caused you and the others a lot of trouble."

The bandit shook his head again, just as fiercely as before. "No, no, no, no, Hikaru-san! That isn't true at all! You've done a lot of good, too, te kanjii! Koji-sama has been bad-different, but… but Gen-sama, Gen-sama's been good-different, ever since you came here! The way he looks at you, and sometimes, the way he acts after you've been talking together… times have been hard, but it feels like Gen-sama is trying to figure a lot of things out, and it feels like you're the one helping him with that. I don't really really really like Gen-sama like I do Koji-sama, but I still really really like him, so seeing him happier, seeing him with a person who can make him smile and laugh, that's reason enough for you to be here, te kanjii!"

Now it was the Asatenshi woman's turn to blush. "Genji-kun… you mean… you truly think that Tasuki…?"

Genji giggled at the sister's stammered words. "Gen-sama's very confused these days, and it seems to me that he's always very confused about you. He doesn't know what to think of you - what to feel for you." He closed his eyes, putting his hands to his cheeks and squealing happily to himself. "It's so cute to watch, te kanjii!"

Hikaru shook her head, laughing as she did. "Genji-kun, I'll never understand you. You're act so mature one minute, and like a teenage girl the next… But whatever the case, I want to try and help you out." She sat up on her haunches, facing the young bandit and grinning. "I'll see if I can't gently push Koji-san away from me, all right? If he sees that I'm not interested, he may give it up. Not only would that make him happier, but perhaps he would start looking around, and notice his wonderful young bandit roommate…" she giggled, poking the youth's nose teasingly. "Or maybe I should try hooking him up with my sister! What do you think of _that_, hm?"

The two stared at each other for a moment, as if seriously contemplating the idea… then burst into helpless peals of laughter.

---

If Genji had snuck into Koji's room that evening, he wouldn't have had to worry about awakening the bandit co-leader: he was already wide awake, laying back in his bed and watching the evening shadows dance across his ceiling. He was waiting for someone to appear. He was willing to wait the entire night, if he had to. He glanced around, remembering that his young roommate was on watch at the moment. Good. This would be a perfect time for that voice - if indeed it was real, and not just his imagination - to show itself. Though, it sure was taking its time about it… maybe he'd dreamed up the whole thing, after all…

_Not quite._

Koji jerked upright with a start, wincing as the wound in his side screamed in protest. The bandit grabbed at his abdomen, looking around the room for the speaker, though of course he knew he would find no one. "Nice entrance," he muttered. "I was jus' about t'fall asleep, too."

_Which wouldn't have been a bad idea. I already told you, you haven't been getting enough rest_.

He thought he could survive for the night, he explained mentally, testing the voice's earlier statement. But what had taken him so long?

_Absolutely nothing. I have been here the entire time. All you had to do was call on me, and I would have answered._

That would be a bit tricky, Koji reminded him with a wry smile, seeing as how the co-leader didn't know the voice's name. Also, he added, seeing as how he didn't really believe any of this.

_Some things you don't have to believe for them to be true. As for my name - well, I am you, so "Koji" would be appropriate. However, that may create some confusion, so you may call me Doro-kun, as in Dorobou Thief._

Koji nodded. That was fair enough, he supposed. But what could this voice want with him?

_Nothing._

Then why was he here?

_To help _you_ achieve what _you_ want._

The bandit didn't buy that. He had learned from experience that people rarely did anything without wanting something in return. Besides, he sincerely doubted that a deranged mind would think up a personality that didn't wanta few things out of life.

_Do you truly believe that I am something you created? Something from a tired mind, or a feverish one, or a mad one? _Doro, as he called himself, chuckled a little. _Well, I know your thoughts because they are my own, and I know you are confident of your sanity._

Okay, fine, Koji silently consented. For the moment, he would say that this "Doro" was real - he would assume that one thing. But the question still remained: why was he here?

The voice sighed. _Must I continuously repeat myself? Come now, Koji, you're a lot smarter than that - much smarter than any of the other bandits in this stronghold. As I already said, I am here to help you attain that which you long for. I am a part of you that you didn't even realize you had, a part of you that can take you to great heights. Call me Ambition, if you will, or perhaps Desire. I personally prefer the title Strength, but it's your choice._

The bandit frowned. But what could some tiny little voice do that Koji couldn't do by himself?

_Nothing, of course. Because we are one in the same. I believe I mentioned that already. _Doro's voice lowered into a seductive purr; it was a tone that would become increasingly hard for Koji to ignore, or disagree with. _I have awakened because you, deep inside yourself, awakened _me_. Because you have decided to strive for things that you never considered before. And I am here to help you._

Koji frowned. It sounded promising, but he still wasn't quite ready to buy it. "So," he said, this time out loud, "are you tellin' me that everyone has one-a these little voices inside-a 'em? That this ain't weird at all?"

_Certainly. Most never awaken it, however, and those that do ignore it far too often. Your friend Tasuki has such a one - I believe you've seen it, the way he sometimes disappears inside himself?_

The bandit co-leader's eyes widened. So _that_ was it! _That_ was where Tasuki seemed to go, all those times! It made sense, to an extent; at least, Koji was willing to believe it. If it could make this normal, if it could steady his questions about his sanity, then he would easily believe it. Because he was interested in what Doro had to say. Because there was no harm in just hearing this thing out, after all - he could always ignore it later. Because a little part of him was curious to see just how much he _could _accomplish, with the right help. Mostly, though, because he hadn't forgotten the way Hikaru had looked at Tasuki that evening, nor the way Tasuki had looked back, if only for a moment…

_Then I take it that means you are ready? Ready to accept this - to accept me - to accept your destiny?_

His destiny? Koji scowled. He didn't know about all that. But Doro could help him, right? Could help him get the things he wanted? The things like… like… well, hell, all he could even think of at the moment was Hikaru. That was all he really wanted, wasn't it? And if Doro could help him with that… The idea made the bandit tremble with excitement. "How?" he asked aloud, almost too eagerly, almost too hungrily.

_That takes time, Koji. For the moment I will merely watch, wait, and listen. But I cannot do even that if you are not willing to commit to this._

Commit to it? He chuckled at the idea of actually _rejecting _such a simple offer. Hell, yeah, he'd commit to it.

Koji felt more than saw Doro smile. It was a charming, sort of disarming smile. The bandit had no idea what lay behind that, nor behind the friendly voice that asked, also a bit too eagerly: _Then we have a partnership?_

Sure thing, Koji agreed readily, giving the voice a little mental handshake as if to seal the deal. He was about ready to try anything, now. And after all, he reminded himself with a shrug, what was the worst that could possibly happen?

---  
---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: Nov. 27, 2004; 1:04 PM_

Hao, dear readers! Apologies for the late chapter, but recent events have kept me away from my fanfiction. This included but was not limited to: A period involving a lot of mourning, followed by a period involving homework and the school musical (yay "Godspell!" Good job everyone!), followed by a period involving a brand-spankin' new significant other. Needless to say, many political, professional, and social issues have kept me very busy. But, here I am, and here's Verse Four, the closing to the cliffhanger and the true beginning of _Demons_.

**Random Chapter Comments** So Doro-kun has at last made himself known. Okay, kids, now here's a 2-dimensional villain of utter evil who you really _can_ hate with no inhibitions or "what ifs!" He's purely there to make the story more difficult, and to make a few people's lives a little more painful. Hooray for simplicity! I don't _always_ weigh down my readers with reluctant heroes and noble villains, y'know…

**Answering Reviews **Since I didn't do this section last time, I have a lot to catch up on. (Sigh) First and foremost, let me extend the hand of welcome to Cheeto-san and Mrs. Tasuki, my newest RFS reviewers! Glad to have you aboard! I'd also like to thank everyone for their political comments – who knew people actually _read_ the author's notes? – and offer my sympathy to the other crying liberals out there. Now, onto the questions!

…Well, huh. I can't seem to find any _questions_ in the reviews! That's okay, though – gives me a little time off! ;) And, after reading through the recent ones, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside again! So, let me just take this moment to thank you all for your wonderful reviews… and to give you a new game to play! (Everyone groans)

The Hikaru/Shuu debate is blazing, and stronger than ever! Though I've been flipping back and forth on everything to keep you guessing, I will tell you right now that I have purposely placed two definite clues that will tell you the Angel's identity _for certain_. Both have already been mentioned in this story, however discreetly… and if you can figure them out and e-mail them to me… I _will_ tell you if you've hit the nail on the head! Doncha just love mystery games? ;)

**Quote of the Week** This one, like so many, is based on a twisted little conversation my friends and I had once (their names have been altered, Tarantino-style, for privacy's sake). It began with a discussion about "romantic realism" – that is, seeing the world for what it is, but trying to find the positive points regardless. And…

_MR. BLACK: Wow, you just described the Bush Administration's entire policy!  
__MS. PINK: Yeah, it's like Bush gets up at a press conference and says: "Well, there's a war going on and a lot of people are dying – but look, a kitten!"  
__MR. BLUE: (Imitating a secret service agent) "Uh, sir? Dick Cheney just ate the kitten."_

Ah, how I do love my friends…

**Verse Preview? **I've been forgetting to do these, haven't I? Heh, oops! Well, better late than never, I figure: A trip into town causes tempers to flare, shadows to spread… and enemies to reach a truce? All this and more in Verse Five!(But don't start looking for it for a while… alas, this one has a _lot_ of editing to undergo…)

Happy Christmahanukwanzakah, and in case V5 takes a while, have a DEElightful New Year as well!

Dee ;)


	24. Verse Five: Sennichite

_**Verse Five: Sennichite  
**__**--Stalemate-**_

"_The two sexes - the opposite poles  
__There are two types of myself  
__Top and bottom, left and right  
__There are two types of myself  
__Front and back, heaven and earth  
__There are two types of myself  
__An angel - a devil  
__There are two types of myself."  
--__S__uginami Jidou Gasshoden, et. al.; "Angel creation, namely light"--_

Morning poked its golden head above the trees, shining down on the world and bathing it and its dozing inhabitants in a soft amber glow. The light spread across the sky and down onto the swaying sycamores and pines, shimmering across the individual branches and playing a soundless melody along the stubborn winter leaves.

The poetic beauty was completely lost upon Tasuki, who glared up at the surrounding branches and wished he could take his tessen to the entire thing. He scowled even deeper and glanced to the right at his two companions. First to the young man standing in the middle who attempted to keep his eyes straight ahead, and then to the infuriating brat of a woman on the far side of the path, her own fierce orbs glaring into the woods. He sighed, grumbled out a tiny curse, and turned his face towards the irritatingly blue sky. Didn't the sky know he was in no mood for it to be so damn blue?

'_How'd I ever get dragged inta this?'_ he asked the clouds with a helpless little groan. It had all been Koji's fault, now that he thought about it. If Koji hadn't gotten himself hurt then _he'd_ be out here right now instead of Tasuki, and the real Reikaku leader would be back where he belonged: on Mount Reikaku b – and far away from _that brat_!

The seishi gave himself an inward shake, halting that kind of thinking. Of course it hadn't been Koji's fault, but Tasuki always had to blame someone and Koji had been the nearest target. But that was stupid. If anything, it was the Akutsuki gang's fault. _Everything_ was the Akutsuki gang's fault, now that he thought about it. Especially things that caused him discomfort.

After all, if not for the Akutsuki gang, half of Reikaku's supplies wouldn't have been poisoned and spoiled. Then the stronghold wouldn't be running low on food in the middle of winter, and Tasuki wouldn't have to go on a trip into town to go grocery shopping. _Grocery shopping_! Tasuki shuddered at the words. No Reikaku leader in history had ever had to do such a menial task! They were supposed to take what they wanted from all the fat merchants, right? And what they couldn't take off merchants, why, they could just loot in a raid! That was how it was _supposed_ to be, right?

Almost as if carried by the wind, Tasuki could hear the argument he had held with Koji the night before, and Koji's matter-of-fact reply. "In case you've forgotten, we happen t'have a deal with th' folks in Kakou City. We don't attack their shops, an' they don't call th' Imperial Forces in t'take care-a th' 'bandit trash' squattin' on the edge-a their land." To which Tasuki argued that no Imperial Force in Konan would ever attack a Suzaku shichiseishi, and to which Koji smacked his friend over the head with his makeshift walking stick and told him to stop being difficult.

And of course they couldn't get anyone else to do it, because no one else was to know about it. That was the part of this little trip that really threw Tasuki for a loop. What was the point of sneaking off to town at daybreak and hiding the trip from the rest of the stronghold? But Koji had had an answer to that, too.

"Those sneak attacks by th' Akutsuki gang, an' their ambush on us in th' woods… it was a little too lucky fer my tastes," the co-leader explained, limping over to close his room's door in case of prying eyes and spying ears.

"A spy in Reikaku?" Tasuki had never considered it, and found the idea so ridiculous that he laughed when Koji mentioned it. "Yer way too damn suspicious."

"An' that's why I'm still alive," he answered snappishly, keeping his voice low. The co-leader sighed, explaining everything to Tasuki as he went. The main issue was Tasuki's safety, he claimed. Since he couldn't travel into town with a whole squad at his heels, they had to be careful. They just _couldn't _take any chances. "Th' second reason," Koji had added after a brief pause, "is that I wanna see what happens when no members in the stronghold know about our plans. I wanna see if that has anythin' t'do with what th' Akutsuki know." To which Tasuki had called his friend a paranoid old lady, and to which Koji had once again beat him over the head with his makeshift walking stick and told him to quit complaining. And that had most definitely been the end of that.

Tasuki frowned, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of Mount Reikaku. He rarely left his home, and now more than ever he worried about the stronghold. What if there was a sneak attack, and he wasn't there to help? Well, he'd just have to trust that Koji would take care of it. All he could do was hope for the best. Hope the bandits would be okay. Hope his friend would be okay.

Hope Hikaru would be okay.

Shuu felt the Reikaku bandit watching her. She glanced up, turning the full power of her emerald glare on the seishi leader. Tasuki glared back, snarled at her for a brief moment, then turned his head away as if to say she wasn't worth the energy to fight. The Asatenshi woman looked away as well, reflecting the statement, and went back to cursing the vigor of the trees. How dare they act so cheerful when she was stuck in this place!

'_How in the gods' names did I get roped into this?' _she demanded of the surrounding woods. It was that disgusting bandit's fault, really. If he hadn't been such a little fool and gotten himself injured, then _he'd_ be out here instead of the Ahou. And if he'd been out here, then he certainly wouldn't have asked _her_ to go with him, and she'd be back at the stronghold planning her next move in her and her sister's never ending game of Fate.

But then again, perhaps that was unfair. It was immature of her to blame the co-leader. That's right – it had been her _sister's_ fault from the start! Koji wanted someone to go with Tasuki to watch his back in case of an attack, and Hikaru had oh-so-sweetly suggested her magic-toting sister. Shuu scowled. She'd never understand how Hikaru worked. It wasn't as if this separation would do either of them any good – they had their own specific orders, and law and honor demanded they follow them completely. And she knew this little trip hadn't been in either of their plans. So what was the big idea? Sometimes she wondered if Hikaru did things just to make her life difficult.

Of course she had done her best to get out of it. By annoying him, by pressing all those little buttons that she'd become an expert at pressing. "Why do you need _me_ out there?" were her indifferent words. "He's an idiot, but he can take care of himself. And anyway, even if he did get attacked, what difference would it make to you? If he gets whacked, then that would make _you_ the leader, wouldn't it?"

Koji whirled on the young woman, mouth fumbling for his words and eyes blazing. His defensive attitude had been unusually fierce; he had even gone so far as calling her a "crazy bi-" (fearing his safety enough to stop before finishing his sentence) and thrice saying that "that hadn't even crossed his mind!" The fact that he denied it so fiercely stated otherwise; Shuu was moderately surprised by how deep the Souleater had penetrated, but kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she told him not to get his panties twisted in such a knot and said she'd look after the little jerk if it would stop his nagging.

It wasn't like she had much of a choice, anyway. To deny it would be to cast suspicion on herself – did she _want_ Tasuki dead? – and suspicion was the last thing she needed. They were too deep into the "game" for Shuu to get herself kicked out of the stronghold. One slipup on either side could mean victory for the other, and she wasn't about to let that happen. So she swallowed her pride, bit back her disgust towards the pathetic Reikaku leader, and came along as his personal bodyguard for this little trip into town. And that had been the end of that.

That didn't mean she had to be pleasant, though.

Genji focused very hard on a spot directly in front of him, trying not to look to either side. He was afraid of what he might see and had no real desire to break up a looming brawl so early in their trip. True, that was the whole reason Koji had asked him to accompany Tasuki and Shuu, but it didn't mean he _relished_ the idea. Feeling burning eyes on either side of him, the young bandit glanced first to his right, then to his left, and found both amber orbs and emerald ones glaring across the road at one another, revulsion oozing from their eyes. Genji sweatdropped heavily at his comrades.

'_How did I ever…?' _he started to ask, then stopped as he remembered Koji's pleading eyes, his hopeful voice, his sickly condition, and the blood-soaked bandage on his abdomen. Well, perhaps it hadn't been all that dramatic – his wound, in fact, hadn't bled since that first night – but love sees things with different eyes, and through Genji's violet orbs the situation held an air of exaggerated, almost tragic, romance.

Because for Genji, everything Koji had done – the way he leaned against the makeshift cane, the way he winced at the stabs of fire that plagued his abdomen, the way he still managed to flash his confident grin despite the row of pain-induced sweat that sometimes lined his forehead, and the way he looked upon Genji with so much pride, as if to say he'd gladly take another arrow for the youth – it was all a testament to the thousands of the things the youth adored about his beloved bandit. He wouldn't have been more willing to do Koji's bidding had the man been lying on his deathbed.

"Na, Genji-kun, can you do me a—?"

"Anything, Koji-sama, anything, te kanjii!"

And that had most certainly been the end of that.

"So…" the young bandit said, disliking the eerie silence. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"What's so good about it?" Tasuki and Shuu griped, then whirled to glare at one another as if the unintended agreement had been a personal assault on their characters. Both uttered low noises somewhere between growls and snarls, then turned sharply away, green and red power crackling around their forms.

A heavy sigh escaped Genji's lips as he quickened his pace down the path, forcing his two companions to keep up. The sooner they reached Kakou City, the better.

---

The trip to town was uneventful but filled with anxiety, particularly for the young bandit "chaperone." Eventually Genji gave up on talking and slipped into a nervous silence, frightened that the tiniest disturbance might set the two off again. But Tasuki concentrated on the annoying blue of the sky, and Shuu concentrated on the infuriating joy of the forest, and somehow they arrived at Kakou City in one piece, though both seemed to grow angrier as the trip progressed. Genji, on the other hand, had never been happier to see the familiar red-roofed buildings of the small metropolis.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Tasuki grumbled. "Whadda we need t'get first?"

"How the hell should I know?" Shuu said with a shrug, the bustle of the crowd forcing her to walk within inches of the redheaded bandit and only worsening her mood. "Didn't your stupid friend give you a list or something?"

"What! 'Course not! I told him I'd never keep track-a somethin' like that, so he said he was gonna give it t'you!"

"And I told _him_ I wasn't his slave and he should give it to you!"

"Damn you, we've come all the way here for nothing!" they both shrieked, desperately searching for a nearby someone to blame.

Genji sighed, digging a scrap of parchment out of his coat pocket and waving it between the pair of fighters. "The second reason Koji-sama sent me with you, te kanjii. Not that I really need it – I memorized our inventory a long time ago."

Having lost an excuse for a fight, Tasuki and Shuu reverted back to silence, fuming all the while. The youth sweatdropped and led them deeper into the city, reading through the list and hoping they'd settle down a bit. Genji's prayers were answered. Once the trio reached the marketplace an unspoken truce was called and the pair put aside their differences for a while and (grudgingly) cooperated on completing their task. Shuu and Tasuki even held back some of their more scathing remarks, much to Genji's pleasure, and did their best to help the young bandit haggle for good deals. Realizing that they had too many items to carry around the crowded marketplace, Tasuki requested that everything be sent to "The Emperor's Light," one of the classier inns in the area. "We'll go ahead 'n' stay there fer th' night," he explained, dishing out the gold pieces to the eager merchant. "No sense in tryin' t'go home in th' dark, an' besides, that place has the best sake I ever tasted."

The group finished their shopping early, so at Genji's request Tasuki agreed to let them look around for a little while. The young bandit soon regretted his decision. Now that the important work was over, his two companions seemed to think their truce could end, too, and went back to their glowering with a vengeance. Worse still, Genji learned that neither could stand the idea of being "outnumbered," so he often found himself in the middle of their fiercer verbal attacks. Anytime he admired a particular artwork with Shuu, Tasuki looked at him as if he had committed treason; and anytime he ogled a sword with his leader, Shuu's comments suddenly became two-pronged, directed first at Tasuki and then at the youth. Genji could hardly look at one without the other breathing fire down his neck, so he gave up the futile struggle and went back to his nervous silence. At this point it was probably better to just observe than to participate. And he had to admit that it _was_ somewhat amusing once you weren't in the middle of it.

"Hm, this is interesting…"

"Why th' hell're you lookin' at jewelry? No hair pin in th' world c'd make y'look anythin' less than hideous."

"A lot you know about it! I'm sick of my hair always getting in my eyes when I'm trying to do spells, that's all!"

"Well, that's good then. Even if ya did somehow manage t'look less like a demon in that thing, no guy'd ever get inta bed with a little brat like you."

"Ha! As if _you'd_ know what men want in a woman – or even what to look for in a woman!"

"An' what's that s'posed t'mean?"

"I bet the last time you had sex was in a brothel, dishing out gold pieces to those poor girls stuck with you for the night."

"Poor girls! They were lucky t'have me!"

"Oh, so I was right?"

"Teeme…!" Genji winced at the spree of cursing that followed, noticing that others traveling through the market did the same. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to some of Tasuki's foul language, but for these people it must have been just about traumatizing. Shuu watched him coolly, a tiny smirk on her face. Now that she was winning, was she actually _enjoying_ this juvenile shouting match?

"… Jus' jealous 'cause no man with half a brain would _ever_ get near you!"

Genji blinked at the sudden statement that had materialized in the middle of Tasuki's cursing binge. He glanced in Shuu's direction, already preparing himself for the ki-blast that would certainly follow.

The Asatenshi woman's form sparkled with emerald power, but her attack came with words and not with magic. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I'll have you know I could have any man in this market if I wanted them! Not that I do, of course, you men are utterly disgusting – _especially_ you!"

Tasuki's hand moved towards his tessen like a warning. "Especially me! I'm a damn better catch'n you'd ever be, to a woman _or_ a man!"

"I'm not the one who hits the brothels, Ahou!"

"At least I _have_ a sex life, Gaki!"

Genji sighed, grabbing both by the arm and pulling them away from the crowds. He didn't plan on getting involved in their immature spat, even if it did come to blows, but he wasn't willing to injure anyone else over this either. "Besides," he added aloud, "it's getting late. Let's head on over to 'The Emperor's Light' and check out our room for the night… te kanjii…"

Both bandit and Asatenshi sister were too involved in their meaningless battle to pay him any attention. Genji pulled them along, trying to turn a deaf ear to their increasingly violent verbal attacks and finding it almost impossible. He even had to stop a few times and ponder a particularly cutting remark or biting insult. Could you really _do_ that with a pair of chopsticks…?

"Jajauma!"

"Kieusete!"

They were resorting to vulgarities now, Genji noted. Maybe that meant they were almost finished. But when had they _ever_ been finished insulting one another? Perhaps a better question was: how _could_ they finish? Neither would ever stand the idea of the other "winning."

But why? Did they really hate each other that much? Were those feelings so powerful that they had to resort to insults just to vent their emotions? And if that were the case, then why didn't Shuu ever let loose her emerald magic or Tasuki ever unsheathe his tessen? What held them back?

What held _anyone_ back from doing _anything_? Genji asked himself, and pulled to a halt because he immediately found his answer. But could Tasuki and Shuu really be _afraid_ of each other? They acted as if they didn't fear anything, or at least nothing external. And what would they be afraid of, anyway? What did one have that would scare the other into such blazing hatred?

"Thank the gods, we're finally here," Shuu grumbled, jerking her head in the direction of 'The Emperor's Light.' "Now let's get the hell out of this crowded street and into that inn. I'm starved as it is."

"An' who said I'm feedin' ya on Reikaku money?" Tasuki snapped, but followed the Asatenshi sister into the building regardless. Genji hurried after him, still contemplating his latest ideas.

Since Tasuki knew the lay of the land better than the other two, he lead the way to the innkeeper, making sure the man got a good look at him before tossing down a few coins. "Two rooms for th' night, 'Jii-san."

The innkeeper, a stout older man with a few grey wisps of hair still clinging to his head, glanced up at the Reikaku leader. He blinked, squinted a bit, then grinned at the seishi. "Ah, Genrou-san, always a pleasure to see you! I'll reserve the two best rooms available, as well as your table in the corner. Is there anything special I can get you, or your friends?"

"Just make it one room," the Asatenshi sister cut in. "We'll save money."

"Two rooms," Tasuki reiterated, trying to ignore the young woman.

Genji sighed, bracing himself for another pointless argument. "Why?" Shuu queried, gesturing to the coins on the table. "I'm trying to help you save cash. You ought to thank me instead of ignoring me; I don't often feel generous, especially towards idiots like you."

"Ignore her, and give us the two rooms," the seishi said again, never once looking towards the woman at his side.

"I'm not a sissy like my sister, you know. Sleeping on the floor won't kill me."

Tasuki turned towards her, a stubborn fire in his amber eyes. This was one thing he wasn't about to back down on, though Genji couldn't figure out why. "That ain't th' point! I jus' don't wanna have t'sleep in th' same room with you, all right? Genji-kun 'n' I will take one, you take th' other. _You_ oughta be happy that I'm givin' you some privacy."

Shuu flashed a crooked grin at the seishi. "Aww, what's wrong little brothel-rover? Afraid of being in the same room with a woman?" She leaned against the counter, smirking almost maliciously. "I know you and this city have some good memories, but I think I can defend myself far better, don't you agree?"

The seishi paled. His lips curled back into a half snarl – though, whether a snarl of anger or fear, it was impossible to tell. "How did you—" but whatever Tasuki had started to say would remain unsaid. With a concentrated effort he regained control, though Genji noticed that one of his hands gripped the counter in a near death lock. He glared at the Asatenshi woman then turned back towards the baffled innkeeper, a forced grin on his face. "Its comments like these that make me want a separate room from th' little smartass. Ya understand, right?" He gestured towards the coins. "B'sides, its more money fer you this way. Two rooms, 'Jii-san."

The stoud man nodded, a look of confusion and slight fear on his face, and waddled towards the back of the inn, shouting orders to a nearby serving girl as he went. The young woman glanced up, gave Genji a shy smile, and darted into the back room. The youth sweatdropped, then hurried after his companions to the reserved table. A steaming pitcher of hot tea already sat waiting for them, so the young bandit poured himself a full cup, trying to stay busy so he wouldn't look at Tasuki or ask the question that hovered on his lips, the question he knew he couldn't possibly ask. What did Shuu know, and why _was_ the bandit leader so adamant about having two rooms…?

"Ano, Shuu-san, do you want some tea as well, te kanjii?" the youth offered.

The young woman nodded, but her searching eyes never left Tasuki's amber ones.

Genji poured the extra cup, then glanced over at the bandit leader, managing a weak smile. "I bet you're waiting for the sake, right Gen-sama?"

"Mm," he agreed, his own eyes staring a challenge into Shuu's. Whatever she was searching for, he didn't want her to find it. He didn't even want himself to find it. "You know nothing," he spat.

"On the contrary," Shuu answered, dropping her penetrating gaze. "I _knew_ nothing, nothing but a few rumors and some wild hunches. Thanks to you, I now know a great deal."

"Nothin' happened."

"Through no fault of your own, I'm sure."

Tasuki's eyes blazed, but he had no answer to give.

Shuu took the offered cup of tea from Genji, blowing at the wisps of steam trailing from its glassy surface. She didn't look up again, and her next words were barely a whisper, but no one at the table had any trouble understanding them or the distaste behind them. "You're so disgusting."

Then she fell into silence. For once, Tasuki did the same.

But this wasn't the silence Genji had hoped for. This silence was full of unspoken questions, of anger and a silent struggle, of something akin to hatred but much deeper, and much more complicated… this silence was laden with fear, the kind of fear that seemed to hum in the air and sink deep into you, even if you didn't know what it was you were supposed to be afraid of.

Genji couldn't stand it. "So, um… so it was a good thing those Akutsuki bandits stayed away today, don't you think? Maybe they were hurt pretty badly after that ambush, too – we did take out a good number of their men as well, so they could've decided to take a break. I hope that break keeps up tomorrow, especially since we're gonna be loaded down with all those supplies. Ne, do you think we'll be able to carry all of them, or should we rent a horse? But then, we're going to have to return it somehow, and that might be a pain, te kanjii…"

The sake arrived some time during the youth's babblings. Tasuki took a swig of it, and the alcohol immediately lightened his mood. "We c'd always use Gaki as a pack mule – she's stubborn an' ugly enough fer it."

"That's funny, I was going to suggest we stuff all the packages into your big mouth, seeing as how they ought to fit with room to spare."

And so the fighting continued, and Genji smiled, because this was how it was supposed to be. So long as they fought, then neither side was losing; so long as they fought, their fears were kept at bay. And Genji could, at least, deal with that.

Although – he reminded himself as the evening continued, the food was brought out, and the arguments began to get louder and ruder – maybe the other customers weren't quite ready to deal with it. He noticed that more than a few people in the small common room shot Tasuki and Shuu disapproving glances, and just as many left the inn altogether, their hands cupped firmly over their children's ears. Genji sighed a little, wishing the pair could at least keep it down; he was getting tired of the woman in the corner wincing every time a curse word slipped its way out of their mouths. And the pretty young waitress kept shooting him those sympathetic little glances, which only made his situation with her more unpleasant…

"Um, excuse me?" Genji glanced up and moaned inwardly: it was the wincing woman from the corner.

Tasuki's eyes moved away from Shuu's, and suddenly he was all smiles. "Uh, yeah, what's up Oba-san?"

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps the two of you could keep it down, just a little?" she wrung her hands together, her eyes darting from first the seishi to the Asatenshi sister, and finally to the young bandit who kept trying to disappear into his teacup. "In fact, perhaps it would be best if you continued this, ah, 'spat,' in the privacy of your own room. I think you're upsetting your son."

Genji's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates – people often mistook him for being younger than he was, but to be Tasuki and Shuu's son! He opened his mouth to protest, but found his face covered in liquid as Shuu and Tasuki both spat out their drinks and jumped to their feet. "_Our son_!" they roared as one.

"I-I'm sorry… but I just assumed…"

"Well ya assumed wrong!" Tasuki snapped, jerking a thumb at the young woman. "I can't even stand _lookin'_ at this whiny little brat! I'd sooner cut off my arm than have kids with her!"

"The very idea makes me want to vomit!" Shuu declared, for once agreeing with the Reikaku bandit. "This _thing_ is the most disgusting creature I've ever had the misfortune of meeting! Just being in the same room with him makes me sick!"

By now the wincing woman had scurried back to her table, almost in tears, but the new fight had only just begun. Genji tried harder and harder to make himself invisible as Tasuki whirled on the Asatenshi sister, fire in his eyes. "An' what is that s'posed t'mean, Gaki! How c'n I be th' most disgustin' creature you've ever met, when you've had t'live with _yerself_ all these years?"

"As if there were any doubt it would be you! You're such a slimy little coward, always looking for someone's shadow to hide behind, always trying to shove your own problems onto somebody else! You can't even stand yourself – why would you think others wouldn't feel the same?"

"You have no room t'talk!" Genji looked up, surprised by the tremor in Tasuki's voice. The bandit leader quivered with rage, the youth noticed, and Shuu didn't look much better. He wondered when the argument had taken such a personal turn – and why the pair took it so personally in the first place. "Yer always callin' me a coward, _always_ sayin' I can't do anythin' by myself, but I ain't th' one who keeps hidin' in that sarcastic shell!" The bandit's voice lowered to a near growl, and for a moment Genji thought he really might resort to violence. "See, I don't buy yer little 'I don't give a shit' act, 'cause that's all it is – an act so you c'n keep away from people, so you don't gotta get close t'anyone." The bandit snorted. "What gives you th' right t'call _me _a coward, when yer so damn afraid of everyone that you gotta hide from th' world, that ya can't even admit—"

"Shut up!" Shuu snapped, her voice rising to a near shriek. "Shut the hell up! You don't know anything, you fucking bastard! You don't knowanything about me, about what I do or why I do it, so don't you even try to say you understand me when you don't know a damned thing – when you don't even know a damned thing about _yourself_!"

She stood swiftly, nearly knocking over her chair as she headed towards the inn's door. At the last second she whirled, pointing a finger at the bandit as if she could strike him down with that alone. Her voice grew calm again, like the silence of a storm right before the wind strikes. "Why don't you tell Genji-kun the real reason why you wanted two rooms? Why don't you tell him about _that_?" She paused, waiting for some kind of an answer, but Tasuki said nothing. "You're revolting, do you know that? Absolutely revolting. You, who dare to call _me _a coward." She drew herself up, but her finger never wavered from its mark. "At least I'm honest with myself. You can't even be _that_."

And then she was gone in a flurry of skirts, the door slamming in her wake.

Tasuki sat down hard, gasping as if he'd just gotten the air knocked out of his lungs. Genji looked over at the older bandit, frowning at his sudden paleness and the look of repressed terror in his eyes. Worse than that, though, was the way he wouldn't look at Genji. As if he _couldn't_ look at Genji…

"Y'know what?" he said after a long minute had passed. "I think I'm gonna head up t'my room, okay?" He stood, tossing a few coins onto the table. "Have a few more drinks if ya want. That oughta cover it. I'll… I'll see ya later."

The youth watched silently as his leader stood, never once turning his amber gaze onto Genji's violet one, and made his way towards the stairs leading up to the inn's rooms. In moments he disappeared from sight.

The young bandit glanced at the coins on the table, then back up at the stairs where Tasuki had disappeared, then towards the door Shuu had exited from.

He ignored the money and stormed towards the door.

---

The Asatenshi woman hadn't gone far, and was relatively easy to locate; people remembered a young woman who marched down a street crackling with emerald light. The youth found her in a nearby restaurant, chatting easily with one of the serving girls. Genji hesitated for a moment, amazed by the uncharacteristic smile on his traveling companions' face, but shook off his surprise and remembered his purpose.

"Asatenshi Shuu-san!"

She turned, alarm in her eyes at the sound of her name, but the curiosity quickly turned into disgust. "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

Genji marched up to the young woman, jaw set in a stubborn line. "Asatenshi Shuu-san," he said again, slowly, deliberately, testing out his words before he used them. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't."

"Yes, we do. Right now. About Gen-sama. I want you…" the youth took a breath, attempted to say what he needed to say in a calm manner, but soon gave up and just blurted it out. "I want you to stop picking on Gen-sama, te kanjii!"

Shuu stared at him, a humorless smile tracing her lips, both hands placed on her hips. There was a sustained silence – Genji was certain she tried to draw it out as long as possible – before the young woman finally spoke, a sarcastic note in her voice. "Oh? Is that so? And why should I do something like that?"

"Because he isn't like you. He can't take insults and let them slide off like they're nothing. It hurts him, especially when you say things like… like those last things you said. That was unfair. It was wrong. And I, I don't want to see Gen-sama hurt, te kanjii! So you have to stop picking on him, okay? You have to stop being so cruel…"

"Ch, did it ever occur to you that he should be able to fight his own battles?" Seeing the downtrodden look flash across the youth's face, Shuu nodded. "I figured as much. All I said to him was the truth, and he knows it. That's why it was so hard for him to swallow. If he wasn't the coward I said he was, he would have followed me himself, instead of you having to do it for him." The young woman snorted. "You aren't all that horrid, but you really don't know anything."

"You're right," Genji admitted evenly, drawing a rare stare from the Asatenshi woman. "I suppose I don't really know anything – not about you, not about Gen-sama, not about anything. Maybe you're right about him. I don't really know." He raised his head a bit, and for the first time Shuu realized that she had to look up to meet his eyes. "But I do know that once, when I first came to Reikaku, Gen-sama saved my life, and I know that he'd do it again if he needed to, te kanjii. I know that he cares about the stronghold, and everyone in it, and he'd gladly die for it and all of us. And I know that I love him. Maybe not the way that I love Koji-sama, but… but I still love him, te kanjii. That's really all I need to know. That's why I want you to stop picking on him, te kanjii."

"Really? Well, isn't that sweet," Shuu drawled, though Genji thought he saw a flicker of doubt flash across her face. "And what'll you do if I tell you I don't feel like stopping? What if I told you I rather like seeing that Ahou in pain? What would you do then, hm?"

The youth's fists shook at his sides, and his voice trembled, but he went on without hesitation. "I suppose I'd have to fight you."

"Fight me? _You_? Fight _me_?" He nodded. Shuu stared at him, that same crooked smile twitching across her face. "You do realize that you wouldn't stand a chance against me?" He nodded again. The Asatenshi sister held up a hand, emerald magic dancing between her fingers. "You _do_ realize that all the sword tricks in the world couldn't save you from a well-timed blast of _this_?" Another nod. "You _do_ realize that I could eradicate your pathetic little existence – that is, turn you into a very small pile of cinders – without even breaking a sweat?" Once more, he nodded. "Then why the hell would you threaten to fight me? That isn't even a threat: it's a joke."

"Because," he replied, never once looking away, never once showing a sign of backing down, "because I love Gen-sama. I already told you that, te kanjii. Isn't that a good enough reason to fight?"

"But is it a good enough reason to die?"

"Of course. It's the only reason worth having, te kanjii."

Shuu looked at the young bandit, her hard emerald eyes boring into his violet ones. For a brief moment, Genji thought she _would_ turn him into "a very small pile of cinders," and even braced himself for the oncoming blast. But then the sister's hard gaze lightened, her defensive stance fell, and she did the very last thing Genji expected.

Asatenshi Shuu threw back her head and laughed.

She laughed long and hard, the laughter of one who hasn't experienced a good one in years and intends to fully savor it. The young woman held her sides as she released the chuckles that she'd never allowed herself, that she'd never been able to see a purpose for until just now. It carried, and carried, and seemed to last for a lifetime, and all Genji could do was stand there, uncertain of what to say or how to react; should he be angry at her for taking him so lightly, or was this a compliment? And how could he possibly be angry with her now, when she looked the happiest that she'd looked since... well, since he could remember?

Finally, Shuu wiped a few tears out of her eyes and turned a full, dancing smile on the young bandit. She was almost attractive when she smiled like that. "Mother preserve us, but that's the best thing I've ever heard, Genji-kun. And here I thought your type had died out with the ages."

"M… my type?"

"Too brave to quit and too stupid to know they should never have begun in the first place. And all for the sake of an ideal that the rest of the world threw away." The Asatenshi woman shook her head, pulling out one of the nearby chairs and gesturing for the youth to take the offering. "You've really made my day, you little fool. Sit down. I'll buy you a drink."

So the youth, by now thoroughly baffled, did as Shuu said, and soon found himself sipping a light glass of sake and carrying on a rather pleasant conversation with the woman who just a few hours before he'd been ready to fight to the death.

Shuu chuckled at one of what she called Genji's "charming idiocies," taking a sip of her own drink and watching the young bandit with curious eyes. "Okay, kid, now that you've had a few cups of sake, let me ask you a question. You said you loved that Ahou, right? Now why is that? What in Suzaku's name would make a decent guy like you waste his energies on caring for such a selfish coward?"

"The same reason the other bandits do, te kanjii," Genji responded with a shrug.

"That's not good enough; you aren't like the other bandits, Genji-kun," Shuu argued. "They see what they want to see, and leave it at that. But you're different. You and that fool Koji are the only ones who can see what's inside your leader's pathetic mind, but even your idiot lover can't see it the way you can. So you can't give me some weak answer like that and expect me to believe it." She glanced up through her bangs, watching him carefully. "Unless you mean to tell me you're so busy hero-worshipping Ahou that you don't see him for what he is."

"No, Shuu-san. I see Gen-sama's weaknesses, even if he refuses to see them," Genji admitted. "I know he does things for selfish reasons, and I know he's afraid of… of _something_, something he can't even admit to himself." A small, caring smile traced his features. "I don't understand it, but… but I don't think that really matters. I don't think any of it matters. That's just another part of Gen-sama's personality. It isn't wrong, and it isn't right. I can't explain it exactly, Shuu-san, but it's just something that just… that just _is_."

"So it's blind acceptance, then?"

"I know what I know. I don't see why there has to be more to it than that."

Shuu paused for the briefest of moments, but continued to pry. "Tell me something, Genji-kun. Do you like me?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Better now than I did, but still not very much, Shuu-san. I hate the way you treat Koji-sama and Gen-sama." He shrugged. "But that's okay, too. Shuu is Shuu, even if I don't understand it or agree with it. So long as you aren't hurting anyone else, I won't stop what I'm not."

"That's why you came after me today. Is that right?"

"That's exactly right."

"Otherwise I just _am_. Is that it?"

"That's exactly it."

"Hm. How delightfully foolish." She watched him over her teacup, her emerald eyes blazing. She was thinking about Tasuki again. Genji could always tell when she was thinking about Tasuki. "But even _you_ have to admit that that Ahou's behavior is going to get people hurt. He's a coward, and I despise cowards above everything else. How can you love someone like that?"

"Gen-sama isn't a coward, Shuu-san. He's afraid of something inside himself, but that doesn't make him a coward." He looked up, pure confidence in his violet eyes. "Gen-sama's brave when it counts. He's loyal, and in spite of his selfishness he still loves Reikaku, and that love makes him brave. That love, and that loyalty, those make him brave when it matters the most. You'll see that eventually, te kanjii."

The Asatenshi sister fell into silence, finishing off her glass of sake but pretending to still sip at it. She wasn't quite ready to leave just yet. Neither was Genji. He still had something he wanted to know, too.

"Nee, Shuu-san? Now, can I ask _you_ a question?"

"I'm in a generous mood, so go ahead."

"Why are you afraid of Gen-sama?"

The young woman choked, even though there was no sake to choke on. She coughed a couple of times, glaring at the bandit with unhidden anger and more than a little surprise. "Damn, you don't beat around the bush, do you?" Genji smiled and shook his head. "And what makes you think I'd be afraid of that idiot, anyway? He doesn't have anything I need to fear."

"That's what I thought, at first, except the way the two of you fight makes me think you must really be terrified of each other."

"I hate him, and he hates me. Isn't that a good enough reason for us to fight?"

"But if you really hate him, then why don't you just kill him and get it over with?"

Shuu opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut. She did it again, slower this time, then hesitated, watched the youth carefully, and sighed. Something unusual shone from her emerald eyes. It took Genji a moment to realize it was compassion. "Some people get themselves tangled into messes and deserve it. You don't deserve it, Genji-kun. Do yourself a favor and follow the advice I gave the other idiot: _don't_ dig any deeper. You're too rare a breed to die out just yet."

"What?" Genji inquired, voice hovering between a frightened squeak and a confused whisper. "What kind of an answer is _that_?"

She stood suddenly, scattering a few coins across the table. "I'm leaving," she told him. "You should do the same. It's starting to get late, and we have to leave early tomorrow."

"Wait a minute!" Genji cried, standing so fast that he knocked his glass of sake over. He was surprised to find tiny tears at the corners of his eyes. For some reason he was desperate to understand her, desperate to figure out what she was talking about. The way she said it, the way she looked at him, she made it sound like the entire world rested on her shoulders – and on the shoulders of his friends. "I answered _your _question! Don't you think you ought to answer mine, too? With a _real_ answer? You owe me at least that, te kanjii!"

The Asatenshi woman's head whirled, her eyes silencing him as effectively as a bolt of her magic. "I said you were a rare breed, Genji-kun. I didn't say I _owed_ you a damn thing."

And once again she was gone, leaving Genji alone with his thoughts, and with even more questions than he'd had before speaking to the strange young woman with those hard, vulnerable emerald eyes.

---

Tasuki stepped lightly out onto his room's balcony, turning his eyes down to view the nighttime landscape of Kakou City. He leaned against the railing of the small enclosure, closing his amber orbs and breathing a deep sigh. He hadn't been able to sleep at all that night. Eventually he had just given up. They'd be leaving in a few hours anyway, he figured; as soon as the sun was up, he was going to awaken Genji and that brat of an Asatenshi woman, and they'd be on their way back to Reikaku. The sooner they got back, the better. He was worried about the stronghold, and about Koji.

No, he admitted quietly. That was a lie. He was worried about Reikaku, and he did hope that Koji was taking care of things and getting on all right, but in his heart he knew they were fine. His bandit friend practically led the stronghold as it was, and his injury wasn't going to slow him down a bit. Besides, the Akutsuki gang was probably taking a break from fighting as well – last week's attacks had hurt them, too – so there was little to worry about. He was just homesick. He loved Reikaku, and like anything beloved, he didn't like being away from it for long.

No, he had to admit again. That, too, was a lie. He missed Reikaku, but that wasn't what he was really missing. It wasn't the thing he felt himself yearning for on this chill winter night, on this lonely night when Shuu had forced him to remember that which he refused to remember. He was aching for someone to help take that horrible memory away. He was aching for the one person who could always take those horrid feelings of self-doubt and disgust away.

He was aching blindly, painfully, almost uncontrollably, for Hikaru.

He needed to tell her about this evening. About her sister. About the words she'd said, and about what they'd done to him; about what they'd made him remember. But at the same time he knew he'd never tell her about _that_, because that was the one thing he could never, never, _never_ talk about. Not with Koji. Not with Hikaru. Not even with himself. Because to tell it was to admit it, and to admit it was to show a part of him that he wanted to desperately forget; that he could _never_ forget. And to tell it would be to show Hikaru that part of him, and to risk losing her. Because how could anyone keep caring for him once they knew what he'd done, what he'd almost done, and all in the name of something he thought was beautiful, of something he thought was called "love"…

No. Stop. Enough of that. Stop thinking about it. About love. About that night. And especially about Hikaru.

Only he didn't _want_ to stop thinking about Hikaru.

She cared about him, right? She cared about him regardless. She knew a lot about him, even more than he'd told her; he'd seen it in her eyes. That scared him, but more than that, it helped him. Because she didn't hate him for it. She accepted it. In fact, she cared for him even more because of it. Because those weaknesses were a part of him, and she loved him. Yes. She loved him. Koji and Chichiri had both said it, so there was no harm in admitting it. Hikaru loved him, in spite of – no, _along with_ – his weaknesses.

But she still didn't know about _that_, a part of him argued. And she never would, if he had his way. But Shuu knew about it. The rumors still floated around after all these years, and somehow Shuu had found out about it. And she might tell Hikaru. She might tell Hikaru and then Hikaru would ask him, and even if he lied he knew he'd never be able to hide it from her. Then Hikaru would leave him, just like the others had left him, just like Chichiri and Tamahome and all the other seishi had left him, and then—

No. Shut up. Stop it. Stop it. _Stop it! _That was stupid. He was just worried. High-strung, because of earlier. Because of what Shuu had said; because of what she had revealed. He had already known that she knew a lot about him, as much as Hikaru if not more, but this… this was what terrified him the most. And what he really feared about Shuu was that, unlike Hikaru, she didn't love him for his weaknesses – she hated him for it. She hated him for it the way he hated _himself_ for it, and for that reason she terrified him. For that reason he could _never_ willingly show her any weaknesses; he could _never_ give her a single inch. He could never let her win.

Tasuki glanced over his shoulder, back into his room where Genji lay asleep. The youth had seemed particularly worried that evening, not that Tasuki had had any time to ask what the problem was – he had enough troubles of his own. That was selfish of him. He knew that. But he couldn't help it, right now. He'd deal with Genji later. Somehow. Or maybe he'd tell Koji about it. Koji was so much better with the boy, anyway. Koji was so much better at a lot of things.

But it was no good thinking about that, or any of it. It only brought trouble that he didn't need. So he had to stop worrying about it. About the weaknesses, and about Genji, and about Shuu.

Even about Hikaru...?

Yes. Even about Hikaru.

Tasuki stepped further out onto the balcony, shivering unintentionally as his bare feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor. The temperature was just low enough that his breath created small white clouds in front of him, clouds that lasted for a half a second, then winked out forever into eternity. But he didn't like thinking about that.

The bandit leader placed his feet on the very edge of the platform, leaning out over the railing as far as he could without falling off. Slowly he took his hands off the railing, so that all that was keeping him from tumbling was a bit of good balance and just the right breath of wind. Once he was certain of his position he turned his eyes upwards to look at the thousands of stars dancing in the blackness of the night sky. He found his constellation easily; it always burned the brightest in the winter months, just to the south of the ever-present Hokkyokusei, the North Star. But even his stars seemed dim next to such a powerful light; nothing could ever outshine the guiding light, the traveler's star. Not even "Tasuki" at its brightest time of the season.

He realized suddenly that he hated his constellation.

Tasuki closed his eyes and leaned forward a bit more, enthralled by the feeling of vertigo that overtook him. Any minute now, he thought, he might lose what little balance he had and simply tumble off this balcony, fall the two stories to the hard ground below. Or perhaps he'd fly instead. That's right, just like he used to believe as a kid. He'd just fly right off into the sky, and forget about everything. Just vanish among the stars – become a star – shine for eternity. Gods, he wanted to shine almost as much as he wanted to vanish.

"Sometimes," he murmured to the night sky, "I really hate this place..."

Sensing movement nearby, the bandit leader returned to reality with a crash. He retreated off the balcony and disappeared into the nearby shadows in hopes that no one had seen him doing… whatever it was he had been doing. He was just about to return to his own room when he noticed the slim form on the balcony next door. He peered through the darkness, blinking in alarm as he realized the owner of the silhouette. But what in the world was Shuu doing out at this hour?

The Asatenshi sister moved to the edge of her own balcony, putting her hands onto the rail for balance and turning her head out towards the horizon. She didn't seem to be looking at either the city below or the sky above; rather, she was focusing on a point somewhere in the middle, somewhere forever in the distance, forever just out of reach. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the dim moonlight; they were the only part of her that Tasuki could clearly see, and he was startled to realize that they were shining with a yearning. It was a different sort of yearning than the one he'd just experienced, but there was something similar in it, something Tasuki felt that he understood, somehow.

But he didn't have long to ponder it because she spoke, and when he strained against the wind he managed to catch snippets her short sentences.

"I'm trying... really... Only I haven't done it this way in such a long time. It's not... why isn't it as easy? ...They have to complicate... Only I promise that I'm not letting it happen. I won't..." she paused, as if listening to an unseen speaker, but the wind changed directions and carried all sound away from the bandit.

He could still watch though, and watch he did, momentarily captivated by the young woman as she spoke to the night air, her body craning forward on the railing and her eyes still watching that faraway horizon. Her form glowed with magic – with desire? – with pain? – and for the briefest of moments Tasuki thought he saw a pair of shining ebony wings extend from the young woman's back. The image was gone in a moment, but the idea still remained, and the bandit leader wondered if Shuu really _wouldn't_ simply leap off the balcony and fly towards that horizon she seemed to be grasping with her eyes. And for that brief second, Tasuki envied the Asatenshi sister more than anyone in the world.

But after a short time her hands tightened into fists, clutching at nothing but air and dreams, and the power disappeared from her body. She drooped against the balcony's railing, her head resting weakly in her palms. When she looked up again that same yearning still emanated from her harsh emerald orbs. Nothing had changed.

The wind turned once more, and Tasuki caught her final, ragged words.

"I hate this place."

Tasuki blinked. He hadn't expected this. He turned to slip back into his room, but underestimated the sharp hearing of the young woman. She whirled at the sound of his door creaking open, bright eyes peering through the darkness and glancing wildly about for the unknown trespasser. "Who is it!" she demanded. "Who the hell is it! Show yourself!"

Tasuki sighed. There was no use trying to hide; somehow, he knew she'd figure it out. He stepped forward, holding up his hands in a sign of peace. "Woah, easy Gaki, its jus' me."

"You," she snapped, but why did her voice sound so frightened? "What are _you_ doing out here?"

"Jus' getting' some fresh air, that's all."

"Did you…" she struggled both to find her words and to keep them from trembling. "I mean, you didn't… not to say that I… but how long have you…?"

"I jus' got out here," he answered. A sudden, horrifying thought crossed his mind. "How long have you—? I mean, not that I've been… but you…?"

"Easy, Ahou, I haven't been here long," she said, and Tasuki knew it was a lie. "I heard someone out on the balcony, but by the time I arrived they were gone. So I just… I was only out here for a moment."

"Yeah. Same here. Right before you came out, I guess. But I went right back in," he assured her. For some reason that even Tasuki couldn't explain, he didn't want to admit that he'd seen Shuu's display. Perhaps it was because he was afraid to hear her admit that she'dseen _him_ as well. Or perhaps it was because he didn't want to get into a fight this late. Or perhaps it was because he had, if only for a tiny second, sympathized with the Asatenshi sister's fruitless battle, with her eternal struggle for something she could never, ever have…

"Well, I'm going to bed," Shuu announced.

"Me too," Tasuki agreed. He moved towards his door, then stopped. He noticed that Shuu had done the same thing. "Oi. You wouldn't… I mean, you won't… if ya saw anythin' – not that there was anythin' t'see – an' about that stuff from earlier – not that there _was_ anythin' from earlier… you won't, well…"

"No. I won't tell… well, there's nothing to tell," she said with a shrug. Once again they traveled towards their separate rooms, and once again they stopped. This time, Shuu spoke first. "And you won't… that is to say, if there _had _been anything to see, which there hadn't – and which you said you hadn't seen anyway… but if there was something, you wouldn't go around… you won't let them know…"

"Nah. I ain't gonna… I didn't see nothin', anyway," he assured her. "An' that's that."

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "That's that."

"Not that I like you or anything…" both snapped a bit too quickly, and a bit too defensively.

"It's just—"

"You know—"

"For Genji-kun's sake—"

"An' since you_ are_ Hikaru's sister—"

"We should…"

"Just try – a _little_ bit…"

"To maybe get along."

"At least t'reach a stalemate."

Shuu peered at him through the dark, even though she couldn't see anything. Tasuki could feel her eyes on him. He knew she could feel his eyes on her, too. "Yeah," she agreed quietly, accepting that term. "A stalemate."

"Okay… yeah, okay. G'night then, Shuu-san."

"…Tasuki-san."

And the stars danced above, forever out of reach as they shone their light upon the wide, lonely world.

---  
---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: May 24, 2005; 8:00 PM_

I'm baaa-aack!  
I see no reason to apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. An apology would just make you less willing to yell at me about how long I took, and a strong berating is exactly what I need. There is no excuse for a five-month delay! And I'd hate to make you feel bad for yelling at me because "Well, she _did_ apologize," so I won't apologize at all. It makes sense in _my_ mind, anyway...

**Random Chapter Comments**This. Chapter. Was. A. Royal. Pain. In. The. Ass. I wrote it a long, long time ago and I couldn't decide how I felt about it, then I read it again and decided it needed some _major_ edits. Nearly a year (and several headaches) later, the edit is finished and I'm still not happy with it and I'm about ready to, as Tasuki would say, "take my tessen to the entire thing." I just never seemed to have the skill to portray this chapter the way I saw it in my mind. But who knows, maybe I conveyed what I was trying to convey after all. The next chapter is a thousand-and-one times better, I promise! Anyway, regardless of my opinion on this one, comments are still much appreciated. Criticism is, of course, always welcomed, and in this chapter's case it's expected.

**Answering Reviews **I know it's been a while, but assuming you can remember your questions, then you might appreciate the answers. First off, welcome to Katrina-san, carol-san, Mrs. Tasuki, and Nyan Nyan-san! If you all are still there to remember me, then I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! And now...  
_Katrina-san, about Web Ads_ – Until recently, because of the way I uploaded my files, I had no means of getting rid of them. Trust me, I hated those little buggers too. But now I'm free from their control! Hooray!  
Hm... Don't seem to be any others... guess that's it for today then! Don't be afraid to ask questions, O Readers – otherwise my freetalk sessions seem so pointless!

**Quote of the Week** This week's quote is also entitled: The Ultimate Statement of Optimism...  
"_Well, it could be worse. You could be on fire!" Yours Truly_

**Verse Preview? **Koji. Hikaru. A moonlit evening on Reikaku. Yet somehow you know this isn't going to end in some cheesy romance scene, don't you...?

'Till Next Time (which hopefully won't be another five months) – Dee


	25. Verse Six: Midnight Blue

_**Verse Six: Midnight Blue**_

"_Say, when they're in love,  
__Does everyone get this lonely?  
__Say, do they embrace the pain  
__That's even deeper than the darkness?"  
__--Sakamoto Maaya; "Yakusoku wa Iranai" (I Don't Need Promises)--_

It was only one, so it was okay. That was what he kept telling himself, anyway. So long as it was just _one_ little voice whispering around inside his head, then he didn't have to worry about his sanity. Crazy people – the really crazy ones, at least – never heard just one person; it was always three, or five, or a whole village if they were particularly off their rockers. But _his _was just one, and not a particularly rude or angry one, either; and besides, he knew it was only a voice, just something inside of him. He knew it wasn't really another entity. And as long as he knew that – and as long as it _stayed_ at just one – he didn't have anything to worry about. Nothing at all.

_And even then, you might not be insane. I may have just invited a few friends over for a party._

Koji scowled at Doro's jab, as well as at the chuckle that followed. Very funny, he snapped back, hardly in the mood for jokes. His side was aching with a particular fierceness – it had ever since Shuu left, taking her special tea recipe with her – and he suspected that it would result in yet another sleepless night. The Reikaku co-leader had had far too many of those in the past few weeks, whether due to pain, planning against Akutsuki, or questions over Hikaru. And speaking of Hikaru…

"Maybe yer damn friends could at least be of some use," he grumbled aloud. Genji was gone for the night; off to town with Tasuki and Shuu, so there was no reason to keep his thoughts private. "It's been a whole week an' I ain't made any progress with _her_ at all." He didn't have to say her name – Doro always knew who he meant. "Didn't'cha say ya were gonna help me with that?"

_And I am. I successfully managed to get the two of you alone – in a manner of speaking at least. _Koji could almost feel the triumphant smile in his strange comrade's voice. _Let's not forget whose idea it was to send Tasuki into town in your place, and to let Genji go with him. And many thanks to Hikaru for dispatching that sister of hers – I didn't know _how _I was possibly going to get _her_ out of your hair._

"Yeah, yeah. A lotta good it's done me. Th' only time I ever see her is when she comes in t'change my bandages. Otherwise she's either with Chichiri 'r runnin' 'round takin' care-a the others…" Koji snorted, remembering the exaggerated groans of pain the other bandits often used to get attention from the lovely Asatenshi sister. Hah, if they thought _they_ were in pain, they ought to try walking around in his shoes for the day. "Buncha pansies," he grumbled somewhat fondly.

_You really ought to take it easier on yourself, you know_. Doro remarked with a bit of concern. _You aren't going to heal quickly if you keep thumping around the stronghold all day._

"Oh, an' I s'pose I oughta jus' expect everythin' t'run smoothly on its own?" Koji retorted. "There're things that gotta be done, Doro-kun, _especially_ now that Genrou ain't around, an' I'm th' only one who knows how t'do 'em. If I let myself rest, I'd be riskin' the whole stronghold's safety."

_Not to mention you look rather brave and tough, fighting through a near-crippling injury so you can take care of the mountain and bandits._

"That _is _one of th' perks," the co-leader admitted with a grin.

There was a small pause in their conversation, though Koji knew Doro was still there, sifting through the bandit's thoughts and ideas. Koji had very quickly grown used to his unusual friend remarking on some passing thought of his, even if he hadn't said it out loud – even if it had barely crossed his mind. The bandit sighed, rolling over onto his side and wincing at the stabs of pain that followed the action. He heaved a sigh, putting a hand to his forehead and finding it lined with sweat. "Damn," he muttered. "I'll never get any rest at this rate…"

_Her watch should be starting just about now._

The bandit blinked, surprised by the sudden – and seemingly random – remark. "Eh?"

_Hikaru. She usually takes watch with Genji around this time, correct? _Koji nodded his agreement, still not quite following the line of thought. _She must be lonely, having to sit outside for nearly two hours by herself…_

"Maybe I oughta give her some company," Koji suggested, a tiny smile twitching at his mouth.

_Our thoughts exactly._

The co-leader nodded, then paused, raising a curious eyebrow. "Our thoughts?"

_Why, my twelve friends and I, of course._

Koji rolled his eyes, giving Doro a mental shove. "Ha, ha." He groaned his way into a sitting position, putting a hand against his injured side and feeling around in the darkness for his shoes and makeshift cane. His hand came into contact with the smooth wood first; the co-leader took a firm grip on the temporary walking stick and heaved himself to his feet. He slid quietly into a pair of slippers, then thumped his way not-so-quietly across his room and out into the Reikaku halls. The bandit had to stop to catch his breath a few times – he made a mental note never to get injured again – but made it to the main hall with little trouble. As an afterthought, the co-leader snuck into the kitchens and grabbed a pair of cups and a small pitcher of cold tea – Genji had boiled some before he left. He heated the liquid up quickly, then made his way towards the west doors of the stronghold. He opened them just wide enough so he could slip out, and hurried down the somewhat chilly slopes of Reikaku towards Hikaru's watch spot.

He didn't have to look very hard to find her. The Asatenshi sister was perched on a small slab of stone that jutted out from the mountainside, laying back on her elbows and looking out towards the horizon. Koji could understand why; the west side of Reikaku sloped almost straight down into the nearby valley, and from here a person could see almost everything for miles around. The co-leader couldn't count the number of times he and Tasuki had, as kids, climbed onto the Reikaku roofs and stared for hours at the surrounding countryside. That was before Hakurou's death, though; that was before he'd become co-leader, before he'd grown too old and too busy for sightseeing. He smiled a little, watching the beautiful Asatenshi sister thoughtfully. Maybe it was time he took another good look at the scenery he'd grown to love so much with the woman he'd grown to love so much.

"Nice view, eh?"

The young woman jumped at the sound of the bandit's voice, emerald magic already crackling around her hands as she snapped her head in his direction. She blinked twice, eyes wide with surprise, then smiled and allowed her power to seep back into her skin. "Oh, Koji-san," she breathed with a small sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it's only you. I thought for a moment… well…" she blushed with embarrassment, flashing a tiny smile. "I suppose I don't make a very good guard without Genji-kun. I'm sorry."

"No need t'be sorry," he assured her. "You're awake, ain't you? That's more'n most of th' others c'n say – an' they have _partners _t'keep _them_ in line!" Hikaru giggled, nodding her agreement. The co-leader gestured towards the smooth stone that she sat on. "I couldn't sleep, an' I figgered ya might be lonely out here by yerself." He nodded towards the tea in his hands. "Brought ya somethin' t'drink, too. You mind if I join ya?"

"Not at all. To be honest, I'd appreciate the company. Genji-kun always makes our watches so entertaining, so without him around it seems especially boring."

"Yeah, I bet he c'd keep ya busy fer a while," Koji said with a chuckle, taking a careful seat beside the young woman. His abdomen screamed in protest at the awkward movement, and the co-leader couldn't stop the grimace from flashing across his face. Before he could blink Hikaru was in his face, one hand on his forehead and the other probing gently at his side. "Uh, Hikaru-san…?"

The Asatenshi sister frowned, pulling her palm away from his head. "You've got a fever, again. And here I'd thought we'd seen the last of those." He winced as her other hand touched a particularly sensitive region of his injury. Hikaru didn't miss the look. "_And_ it's still so tender? Koji-san, has it been doing this all week? Bothering you this much, I mean?"

He rubbed the back of his head; he had never been a very good liar, but this was one time when the skill was definitely needed. "Well, off 'n' on, I guess, but it's not that big of a deal. Shuu-san's tea keeps th' pain down a lot, an' it ain't so bad that I can't get around on it or nothin'… I mean, _you_ seem t'think I'm real messed up, but I honestly don't feel what y'think I oughta be feelin'."

"Uh-huh," Hikaru drawled.

"No, really, it ain't so bad at all…"

The young woman poked her index finger directly into the arrow wound; the co-leader let out an involuntarily screech of surprise, followed by a series of particularly harsh curse words. "Not so bad, is it?" Hikaru muttered, and for a moment she sounded like Shuu at her most sarcastic. The Asatenshi sister sighed, putting a hand against the bandages and letting a burst of cool magic flow into the injury. Koji relaxed immediately; the sister used her powers sparingly, but when she did it was always welcomed – it was the only time the pain completely disappeared, and it was a feeling the co-leader longed for more and more.

"I really wish you would tell me about these sorts of things," Hikaru was saying, though Koji wondered how she expected him to pay attention when she was pumping pure nirvana into his body. "None of the other bandits _ever_ hesitate to tell me about _their _cuts and bruises, and with the exception of Ken-san they can't even compare to you… but then again, I suppose you aren't like the other bandits, are you, Koji-san? No, you won't complain or even relax, not when there are things to be done. It's an admirable quality, but infuriating nonetheless." She pulled her hand away, though the coolness still remained, and met the bandit's eyes once again. "Still, if it gets as bad as it was tonight, you really _do_ need to come to me. There's no shame in it, you know – I'm always happy to help you."

It was an order, not a suggestion. Koji flashed a crooked smile. "Or maybe you'd prefer if I jus' lie in bed an' shout fer ya every five minutes, like Junpei does?"

"Oh, gods, anything but that!" she groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. "I swear, the next time he begs for one of my 'Magic Treatments,' as he calls them, I'm going to give him a ladleful of Umadura Oil!"

"What's that do?"

"Nothing," she replied with a wink. "But it tastes so awful he'll think I've poisoned him."

Koji laughed, picking up his cup of tea and holding it out for a toast. "To yer bewitched brews; may they teach those whinin' babies a lesson I been tryin' t'pound inta their heads fer years!"

The pair clinked cups regally, falling back against the slab of rock and sipping at their separate drinks. They were silent for a while, watching the stars wink in and out as they danced between the treetops. After a time, Hikaru set down her tea, smiling a little. "Arigatou, Koji-san. I feel like I say that a lot, but you've deserved it every time. You're always doing everything you can to help me out – me, and my sister as well."

"Hey, you don't gotta thank me. It's my pleasure t'do anythin' I can fer ya. Really."

"Still, I feel somewhat guilty. Here you are, sacrificing your sleep for my sake, and I never even thought to keep you company on _your_ watch. Shuu-chan isn't here either, after all…"

Koji cut the young woman off, laughing at her awkward apology. "Don't worry about it, Hikaru-san. Like I said, I couldn't sleep anyway, an' besides that I kinda enjoyed the quiet. I gotta lotta things t'think about, so bein' on watch by myself gave me some time t'do that." He leaned back on his elbows, turning his eyes upwards to the skies. "Though I gotta admit it was a little lonely without that spitfire around t'keep me on my toes. Huh, y'know, irritatin' as she sometimes is, I almost miss her."

"I don't," Hikaru admitted with hardly any hesitation. Noticing the co-leader's sideways look, Asatenshi blushed and explained. "No, don't get the wrong idea Koji-san. I do love my sister, and I think – no, I _know_ she feels the same about me – but sometimes…" she sighed, waving a hand as if that action alone explained the situation. "Well, you know how she can be. And I suppose I'm not much better, at times. It's just…"

"Why d'you think that is?" Koji wondered, startling himself by his interest in the Asatenshi sisters' unusual relationship. "I mean, th' two of ya really don't get along at all. I know ya say ya love each other, an' I guess I b'lieve that, but Shuu-san sure never acts it, an' t'be honest I don't usually see th' two of ya hangin' 'round each other much." He shrugged, trying to feign disinterest. He didn't know why he should be this concerned about the pair. "Ah, not that I know anythin' about siblin' relationships – never had any myself, not a real one anyway, and, uh…"

Asatenshi giggled. "There's no need to explain, Koji-san. It's nice to find someone who's interested in my sister and me for reasons other than our magic. I don't really know how to answer your question, but I suppose we don't get along because…" her eyes curled upwards into an embarrassed smile, "well, because Shuu-chan and I have always been horribly jealous of one another."

The answer was so unexpected that Koji almost fell off the cliff. "Yer WHAT! Okay, now I c'n see why Shuu-san might be jealous of _you_, but why in Suzaku's name would _you_ be jealous of _Shuu-san_?"

"Is it really so hard to understand?" Hikaru asked with a tiny frown. Koji noticed that she wasn't watching him anymore; rather, her eyes were turned towards the star-streaked skies. She was gazing at them oddly, he thought, not with the longing he usually saw in people's eyes, but with familiarity, and something nearing sadness. "I was born the eldest daughter in our family, and the first child with magic. That automatically marked me as the next Guardian – as the Priestess – of our shrine to the Mother. From the moment I opened my eyes, I had the responsibility of the future on my shoulders. It's a privilege, and an honor… but it comes with a good many burdens, as well. Did you ever realize that, Koji-san?"

"But you've got power. Leadership. Freedom t'do anythin'…"

Hikaru snorted. "Power isn't freedom. Power is a prison. It binds you to responsibility, to the constant knowledge that everything you do is being watched by others, is being _judged_ by others. Worse still, though, is the idea that your decisions affect a community. They can save, or they can condemn. It's a very large amount of weight to put on a child – to put on _anyone_ – you know."

"I s'pose so," Koji agreed, though he really didn't. He couldn't imagine the idea of not _wanting_ leadership, since he had spent most of his early life striving for a position like that. "But I still don't—"

"Shuu-chan, as you know, has nothing to do with our temple. That was partially her choice, and partially the decisions of our parents, but I don't think she ever quite forgave me for inheriting the title of 'Guardian.' I think she always hated the idea of having to live within someone's shadow." Hikaru frowned. "But Shuu-chan has something amazing, only she's too busy glaring at her problems to see her blessings."

"Her blessings…?"

"_Freedom_, Koji-san," Asatenshi said, an exasperated note in her voice. "She can do whatever she wants to do, go wherever she wants to go, and_ be_ whatever she wants to be. She isn't bound by anything but her own limitations. Only she can't see the beauty in her freedom because she can't stop looking at what she doesn't have."

Hikaru softened suddenly, her eyes turning back to the skies. "But I'm the same way, ne, Koji-san? I have something lovely as well, don't I? Privilege, command, respect – things people spend their whole lives dreaming about," the sister sighed wistfully, reaching a hand up as if to pluck one of the shining diamonds from the sky, and for a moment Koji thought she really might be able to do it. "But I guess that's in our nature, isn't it, Koji-san? Even a star wishes for the feel of the grass sometimes, though they can never leave their pedestals in the skies. And even if you have the whole earth…" she closed her fist around the star, a sad smile touching her face when her fingers clasped nothing but air. She brought the hand back down to her chest, finishing her thought in a nearly inaudible whisper. "Even if you have the whole earth, all you can gaze at is the sky."

"All you can gaze at…" the co-leader repeated under his breath, turning his own eyes towards the heavens. For the briefest of moments he felt an amazing bond with Hikaru, as if the two of them truly were meant for one another – but the feeling disintegrated within seconds, because he realized that when she spoke of wanting the sky, she wasn't referring to herself. Hikaru had the sky. It was another young woman who looked towards that star-filled dome with a yearning, with a yearning as powerful as his, and she… Koji pulled that line of thought to a screeching halt. He didn't like the implications that came with it. He didn't like the treacherous little thoughts that came with it. Because if that one thing was true, then all of this… At any rate, the conversation was too complicated for this time of night. It was time to change the subject. But what could he say…?

_Tell her you love her._

Koji jerked a little at Doro's sudden interjection. He glanced at Hikaru quickly to make sure she hadn't noticed, then turned his attention inward and demanded to know if Doro was out of his mind.

_No more than you are, my friend_, he retorted. _Now, tell her how you feel._

That was the craziest thing he'd ever heard. Tell Hikaru he loved her, just like that?

_Why is it so hard? You love her, don't you?_

Of course, he answered automatically. Of course he loved Hikaru. She was never very far from his thoughts. She was the only woman he'd ever thought about this much, except… no, she was the _only_ woman he'd ever thought about this much. And she was certainly the only woman he related to, who he cared for and understood. That was right; it was just Hikaru. Of course he loved her.

Koji knew Doro had heard his frantic inner thoughts, but the strange voice went on as if it had never happened. _Then all you have to do is turn those thoughts into words._

It wasn't that easy, he argued.

_And why not?_

Because… because it just wasn't! There were too many things that could go wrong, too many answers that might be given…

_Are you afraid that she won't return your feelings?_

... Yes, came the reluctant reply. He was terrified of hearing her say those kinds of words. As long as he never asked, then she never said what he knew she was going to say, and then he still had a chance. When everything was a dream, a fantasy, an idea, then there was always a chance.

_Women are strange. By now, you ought to know they have their own complicated games, their tricks, and their oddities. And their emotions are certainly no less complicated than a man's. How can you be so sure she _doesn't _return your feelings?_

Doro had him there. Women _did _do unusual things, especially in affairs of the heart. Could she just be flirting with Tasuki to get his attention? Could she just be too shy to say anything? Was _she _afraid that _he _didn't return the feelings? She was always telling him what a nice person he was, and how she thought of him as such a good friend… could she maybe be trying to say something more…? Though a part of him knew it was impossible, the other half of him – that half that _wanted_ it to be true – wasn't so certain. _Well, only one way to find out_, he and Doro thought almost simultaneously.

"Ne, ah, Hikaru-san…"

But the bandit trailed off. Whatever he had prepared to say was forgotten when his eyes fell on the young Asatenshi woman. She was watching the clouds once more with that same thoughtful look on her face, as if she were quietly debating the secrets of the universe. A light breeze picked its way through the trees, dancing across her features and pulling a few black strands of hair along to gently play against the side of her face. Her mysterious emerald eyes shone in the moonlight, glimmering with the answers to hundreds of questions and playfully withholding her knowledge from the world. With a sort of guilty pleasure, the co-leader's eyes fell from her face and to the rest of her body. Her plain-tailored dress fell in soft folds against her breasts, accentuating them perfectly in the silver glow of the moon. A thin inward curve followed by a supple outer one made up her back and hips, and below that…

"You're beautiful," Koji said suddenly. "Absolutely beautiful."

Hikaru jerked her head in his direction, her pale skin now partially cloaked in shadows. Her green eyes widened in surprise and something nearing fear for a moment, but quickly narrowed again into a modest smile. The tiniest bit of a blush snuck across her cheeks, and she looked away hurriedly, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Koji-san is too kind."

"I mean it," he insisted, propping himself up on one elbow. His injury complained loudly about the awkward position, but the co-leader was too busy watching the young woman to notice. "Yer gorgeous, Hikaru-san. Everythin' about you, inside 'n' out… yer an absolute goddess." Her back stiffened, but Koji didn't know or care what that implied. This might be the only time he was brave enough to say it. And he'd never know anything if he didn't. The co-leader gathered up his courage, pushed back his doubts, and stumbled forward. "An' I'm not jus' sayin' that t'be nice. Th' truth, Hikaru, is that… well, y'know, ever since ya got here, I…"

"Please, Koji-san, don't say it!"

The co-leader stopped short, his hazel eyes widening at the young woman's sudden words. "What?"

"You don't have to say it," Hikaru said again, a slight tremor in her voice. She turned her eyes back to meet his, and Koji saw honest fear in them, and pain, and something akin to sympathy. It was the sympathy that hurt him the most, even more than her next words. "If you don't say it, then we can pretend it doesn't exist. We can keep playing this fragile little game, and things can stay the way they are, and nobody has to get hurt. And I desperately don't want anyone to get hurt." A tiny, distressed smile crossed her face, the sort of smile born from a hopeless hope and a deep sense of regret. Because, despite her words, she knew as well as he that there was no going back now. "So please, Koji-san… just please don't say it."

The painful realization struck him as if she'd slapped him across the face. Koji fell back to the ground, landing with a thud and earning a screech from his abdomen that only accented his sudden, shocked pain. Hikaru knew – had known, for some time, about his feelings, and had chosen to ignore them, to try to push them away. Because she didn't want to hurt him. Because she didn't feel the same way. The words "I love you" caught in his throat, and were replaced by a strangled: "Why?" that tore itself out of his body and took a tiny part of his heart with it.

"Gomen nasai," she said quietly, turning her face away from his again. "I never wanted to have to say that. I was hoping we could avoid this, but I should have known better. I should have told you sooner, so you wouldn't… I _do_ care about you, please understand that, but I don't care about you the way you want it. Because I…"

"Because you love Genrou," he finished bluntly, head turned downwards and hands clenched at his sides.

Hikaru's head whirled around. "What? That isn't what I was going to—"

"But you are," he insisted. "Yer in love with him, right? Since the day ya got here, he's th' only one ya ever really noticed, but…" he looked up again, his voice cracking like a whip. "But did it ever occur t'you that jus' 'cause he's the leader doesn't mean he's the best man in the stronghold? That there might be someone else worth noticin' too? Didja even think about _that_?"

The young woman's face clouded over. Her lips tightened into a thin, angry line. "My sister has been speaking with you. I should have suspected."

"But it's true, isn't it?" Koji wondered when he had closed the distance between them, when he had practically pinned Hikaru against the rock wall, but was too busy flailing amidst his boiling emotions to care. "If _I'd_ been the leader, an' not him, then you woulda—"

"No!" she snapped, the uncharacteristic intensity silencing the Reikaku co-leader. Hikaru took a breath and went on, her emerald eyes meeting his evenly. "I admit it, Koji-san, that when I first arrived here I was attracted by Tasuki's position. Hah, how _can't_ I be attracted to leaders, when they're the only people on this world who truly understand my situation? Yes, Koji-san, I bonded with Tasuki immediately because he possessed the burdens that I, too, possess. However…" and here a small, gentle smile crossed her face, a smile that both infuriated and softened the co-leader at the same time, "the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that it wasn't just an attraction. I realized that there were things – deeper things than a station in life – that drew me towards him. And now I, I believe I may truly be in love with him."

The bandit almost pulled back at that. Hell, she said she loved him. She said she truly loved Tasuki. How could he argue with that?

_Easily._

And Doro spurred him on. "But _why_?" he demanded, one hand clenching against the young woman's shoulder and unintentionally digging her into the rock wall. "Why _him_ instead of me?"

Hikaru winced against the tight grip, but didn't try to pull away. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, looking him square in the eye. "Why do you call him your best friend?" Koji paused, but not for the right reasons. Asatenshi noticed the look, misunderstood it, and smiled. "You see? It isn't all as simple as that. To explain exactly why I love Tasuki would be to map out his entire personality, and I believe there are things about him that he doesn't want openly discussed, even between two people who care about him like we do."

_Like _we_ do…?_

Blushing, the young woman continued. "However, suffice to say there's something beautiful inside of him, something I can't stop gazing at even when I know I'm acting a fool. Because he is brave, and loyal, just like Chichiri said, even if he doesn't realize it himself. I think I need to help him realize that, as much as I feel he needs to help _me_ understand a few things about myself. And sometimes, when we're together, it feels as if… perhaps that strange cohesion, that feeling of my own _wholeness_, is what draws me to him. Perhaps that's what love is." She chuckled, flashing a confused smile at the co-leader. "It doesn't make much sense to me, either, Koji-san, but I didn't have much choice in the matter – that's just how things happened."

"Yeah," Koji agreed numbly. Her words were too strange to be false – it felt as if she really did love Tasuki, in spite of his weaknesses, in spite of how much the co-leader didn't want it to be true. But that didn't stop it from hurting. And it certainly didn't stop that hot, intense feeling of… well, he didn't know what it was, exactly, but it was burning him up from the inside out, and it was only increasing with time. "That _is_ just how it happens."

"Oh…" Hikaru turned her eyes away. "I _am_ sorry Koji-san, truly I am. And I honestly don't know what to tell you. I want us to remain friends, but I feel like things are going to change so much because of this. I didn't want that. You're a wonderful person, Koji-san, and if things were different… well, things _aren't_ different, so I couldn't say, but…" she glanced up through her lashes, attempting a smile that fell just short. "But you are a wonderful person; don't ever think that isn't true. And there are others out there who will – and who _do_ – love you very deeply. In fact—"

"I don't _care_ about the others," he barked, his hands tightening against her shoulders. "Don't you get that, Hikaru? There's nobody else I want, there isn't another person in the world who I've ever felt this strongly about!"

Asatenshi grimaced under his hold, struggling to loosen his grip. "Koji-san, please…"

Her breasts brushed up against him; her dress licked at the folds of his pants. The co-leader pulled in closer, almost without realizing it. She was so beautiful, and she was so close… and, oh gods, she was so fragile, so helpless, she couldn't do anything against him… he could have her, right here…

The thought had snuck up on him, and it was that more than anything that caused him to release the young woman, pulling back as if he'd just been burned. His hazel eyes were wide with repulsion – had he really… had he really _thought_ that! – and his hands trembled unintentionally at his sides. He took a couple steps back, trying to distance himself from the young woman, trying to prove to them both that he wasn't going to do what he'd just thought about doing. Not now. Not _ever_. "Hikaru-san, I…"

She pulled herself from the stone, her hands clasped tightly over her chest. She couldn't possibly have guessed his thoughts, but for a moment she looked at him with the same amount of disgust that he felt for himself. Worse, though, was the fear. Hikaru looked absolutely terrified of him – of _him_! Koji took another step back, feeling like he needed to get as far away from her – and as far away from where that horrid thought had snuck in – as possible.

"My… My watch is over," she said, her voice wavering with each word. "I'm going to bed. You… should probably do the same. Oyasuminasai, Mitsuragi-san." The formality was like a kick in the stomach. She offered him one last, fearful backwards glance, then disappeared up the steep mountainside and out of sight.

Koji sat down hard, one shaking hand traveling towards his mouth. He thought he might be sick.

_Well, that didn't go exactly as planned._

"Shut up!" the co-leader snarled, jerking around and lashing out at an invisible enemy with a fist. "Shut the hell up! Yer th' one who made me think that, you bastard! Yer the sick _thing_ that's made everythin' go t'hell! That's fuckin' made _me_ go t'hell…" his shoulders shook with an involuntary shudder, and the wound in his side ached with a fierceness he hadn't felt since the day of the battle. "Sonofabitch, I hate you…"

_Nonsense. I never made you think anything – and anyway, it was only a thought, so where was the harm? What can a passing idea do? Nothing, if you know how to control it. It was passion, my friend, that's all. It has nothing to do with your character. _Doro's voice lowered to its familiar hypnotic purr, that purr that was so very easy to believe when it spoke everything the bandit wanted to hear. _And it certainly has nothing to do with the outcome of the fight for Hikaru._

"Fight fer Hikaru?" Koji asked, slumping further to the ground. Emotionally and physically, he didn't remember ever feeling this worn out. The night seemed to have drained just about everything out of him; glancing up, he thought that even the stars seemed farther away. The co-leader heaved a tired sigh. "There's nothin' t'fight for, you idiot. She loves Genrou, an' after t'night I doubt she'll even wanna stay friends with me. Not that I really blame her…"

_So that's that, is it?_

"Yep. That's that."

_That's how you want it to end?_

"I don't care how it ends anymore, Doro-kun, I'm jus' ready for it t'be over. I'm jus' ready fer things t'go back t'normal."

_Is that even possible, now?_

"No," he admitted. "But at least I c'n stop losin' sleep over her. At least I c'n stop all these stupid li'l fantasies, all these damned dreams. I c'n start focusin' on what's important. On Reikaku, an' that Akutsuki gang. On what's _real._"

_Hikaru isn't real?_

"Hikaru's part of th' sky. Only other stars c'n ever have her. Us here on earth can't do nothin' but look."

_So what about Tasuki?_

"Well, Genrou's a star. He's always been a star. I'm jus' th' damned tree that manages to catch him b'fore he gets knocked down t'earth, then pings him back up inta th' sky again. That's how it's always been."

_And you're happy with that?_

Koji offered no outward response. But Doro heard his thoughts.

_That's what I thought._

"…Didn't I tell ya t'shut up an' leave me alone?"

_Didn't I tell _you_ that I'm here to help you? That I'm here to give you everything you desire? And what is it that you desire?_

To beat Tasuki. Just once, he wanted to beat Tasuki!

"I want Hikaru. You know that."

_Well, then you can't stop trying. There are other ways to win._

"To win?" When had it ever become about "winning"? And whom exactly did he need to beat?

But Koji knew the answers to his own questions, so there was no need for Doro to answer them. The whisper of a voice only smiled and repeated: _To win._

"Yeah… there _are_ other ways to win." Koji looked up, watching as a star fell from the heavens, sending up a shining trail of dust as it went. Some people said there was sadness in that. All Koji could see was an extra place in the sky – a place that someone else might be able to occupy, if they tried hard enough. He stood, shaking out his shoulders and brushing away the rest of the night. Love was a war. One lost battle meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. And Hikaru had said: "If things were different." Well, it was time to see if he couldn't do something about that.

"Okay, Doro-kun. Let's see if you can't get me inta that sky."

With a new sense of purpose in his step the Reikaku co-leader limped his way back to the stronghold, keeping his shoulders straight in spite of the pain it caused his nagging injury. He wasn't about to let anyone think the night had beaten him. He wasn't about to let _himself_ think it. With little trouble and only a few throbbing stabs of fire hampering his movement, he reached the entrance of the stronghold. Koji spared the quiet landscape one last, challenging look, then slid open the doors and disappeared inside.

A shimmer of green appeared in the air a few feet from the door. The small sparkles glittered softly in the moonshine, coming together to form a long, thin line of emerald light. The particles gave a small sighing noise, then abruptly drew apart, opening a small curtain into the Spiritual Realm. Hikaru stepped soundlessly out from the mass of nothingness, the faint hint of her magic dancing around her thin form. Her face bore no expression but a grim surety, but her expressive emerald eyes revealed the turmoil of thoughts and emotions that raged within the young Asatenshi woman. She spoke quietly, voicing only the tip of her thoughts to the midnight blue sky.

"Oh, you poor fool, every time we give you a chance to break out, you only fall in deeper."

---

Tasuki, Shuu, and Genji arrived later that afternoon, Genji almost falling over from the stack of supplies he had "volunteered" to carry. Hikaru and Koji were waiting at the front doors to meet the trio, and while they didn't offer Genji any help they did shower him with some sympathetic words and direct him towards the supply sheds out back. The young bandit, withholding himself from smothering Koji in a hug, did as they said, making tiny moaning noises as he went.

On the surface, things seemed almost frightfully normal. Tasuki and Koji exchanged friendly punches and a few teasing remarks, then headed back inside the stronghold so the seishi bandit could tell his comrade about the trip – and complain about what a hassle it had been. Genji arrived at the dinner table bearing another perfect meal; he received compliments from both bandit leader and co-leader, and bounced away beaming and blushing with pride. The meal was carried out peacefully, Shuu and Hikaru both sitting in relative quiet while the pair of friends bantered back and forth about recent happenings and their next attack plan against Akutsuki. Reikaku life continued as it always had, moving smoothly forward as if nothing at all had changed.

But Hikaru noticed how Tasuki seemed to only pay partial attention to Koji's stories, and how he kept sneaking guilty, almost yearning glances at her out of the corner of his eye. And Shuu didn't miss the tension in Koji's voice, nor the way he'd turn inwards from time to time, as if listening to a private speaker.

Hikaru spared a quick look at Tasuki, and then glanced across the dinner table at her sister. One well-shaped eyebrow rose in a silent, suspicious question. Shuu jerked her own eyes at Koji, then turned them back towards her sister. Her sharp gaze never wavered, and her expression never changed, but very, very carefully, she raised an inquiring eyebrow right back.

The real war was only beginning.

---  
---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: July 5, 2005; 1:40 AM_

Hao, minna-san!

Look! A relatively quick update! I hope that pleases my little crowd o' readers! I'm trying to spit out as many chapters as I can before school starts, but summer isn't exactly a time of absolutely nothing, either. Still, with luck I'll have another update out before the end of August, and with my senior schedule as easy as it is, I might even be able to stick to bimonthly updates _after_ that as well! (Cross your fingers on that one, though)

**Random Chapter Comments **This one was surprisingly easy for me to write. The whole thing just flowed from start to finish, probably because I've had it mapped out in my head since I started writing "RFS." The verse pretty much spoke for itself, so there isn't a whole lot to say about it, 'cept that it's clearly marked the start of the Second Movement's "downward spiral," as I'll call it for now (Why does it take me so many chapters to get the "spiral" set up? The world may never know). Guess we'll move on...

**Regarding Reviews**No questions this time, but I really must thank everyone who stuck with me over that long break and brought themselves to review (without yelling at me, too!). So thanks to Mie-chan, Amaya-chan, Jolly-chan, Shinju-chan (so many chans!), and Roku-senpai! Val-chan, too - she didn't review on ff, but she's given me plenty of morale boosting and critiquing through e-mails, and that's just as important! I honestly can't believe all of you stuck around, but I'm so very glad that you did. How did I get lucky enough to have such a loyal following?

**Quote of the Week **_"I'd be angry right now... but I have cheesecake!"_

**Verse Preview? **Tension grows, bonds are formed, and the threads of a friendship begin to tear apart...


	26. Verse Seven: Ai :Chuu Seishin:

**Verse Seven: Ai (Chuu Seishin)  
****--Love (Loyalty)--**

"_What should I believe in?  
Anything is fine.  
But this heart is overwhelming,  
And pure emotion is so painful..."  
__--Okui Masami; "Shu -AKA -"—_

_The problem, really, is that Hikaru feels very strongly for Tasuki. While it is not always so difficult to fall in love with someone, it can be surprisingly tough for someone to fall _out _of love with that person. The problem, then, is Tasuki himself._

"Well, what d'you expect me t'do about that?" Koji queried. Almost another full week had passed since his fateful night with Hikaru, and the bandit co-leader was once again up and about in the nocturnal hours, deep in discussion with Doro as he headed towards his watch spot on the western side of the stronghold. "If th' problem is a person, than how th' hell're you supposed t'handle th' problem?"

_There are ways…_

"An' what th' hell does that mean? I s'pose ya want me t'start a coup or somethin' against _Genrou_?" Koji snorted. "I ain't that twisted, no matter what Shuu-san seems t'think. An' I sure as hell wouldn't betray someone who hadn't done anythin' wrong, no matter who they were."

_Of course not,_ Doro agreed soothingly. _I never meant to suggest such a thing. I was merely… thinking out loud._

"Yeah, fine," the co-leader grumbled, pushing open the doors to the stronghold and shivering a little as a blast of chill winter wind hit him full in the face. He pulled his long burgundy cloak tighter around his shoulders, hurrying around the side of the building and towards his post. No doubt Shuu was already there, and no doubt she'd yell at him for being late. The two hadn't spoken much over the past week, but when they did it always seemed to be in tense, unfriendly tones. Not that that was anything different from the usual—

_You'd make a fine Reikaku leader, don't you think?_

Koji pulled to a halt, wide-eyed surprise etched across his face. Surprise, and perhaps guilt as well, for the thought had crossed his mind hundreds of times, and he had swept it away each time. But he couldn't keep it from coming back; he couldn't keep a tiny part of him from agreeing with Doro's statement. "Th-that's beside the point!"

_If you say so…_

"I ain't doin' nothin' t'Genrou, okay! He can't help that Hikaru-san fell in love with him. That ain't his fault." Koji shook his head, pulling his jacket even closer around his shoulders as if it could keep away his treacherous thoughts as well as the chill breeze. "It ain't his fault."

Doro fell silent, and the co-leader made his way across the rocky Reikaku terrain in silence, pausing to catch his breath only once during the short trek. The wound in his side still caused him grief, no doubt because he refused to rest and let it heal properly, but Koji continued to ignore it and Hikaru's repeated warnings. There was just too much to do. It would heal with time. And anyway, it didn't bother him all that much anymore. "Except when I gotta move fast, or sit down… or breathe…" He sighed, massaging the bandages on his side. Hikaru had said if he wasn't careful he might gain a permanent limp from the deep injury, and he was almost ready to believe her. "Maybe I have been goin' too hard. I ain't a kid anymore, after all."

"Huh, that's the first thing I've heard out of your mouth that makes sense."

Koji glanced down, surprised to find himself staring into Shuu's impatient face. She was seated on the ground, leaning back against the wall of the Reikaku stronghold. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized he'd made it to his post. "Oh. Shuu-san. Kon-wa (Evening). Didn't see ya sittin' there."

"Obviously." She heaved a sigh, running a hand through her messy raven-blue hair and flashing him an exasperated look. "You're late again, never mind that you shouldn't even be out here. If you're still having trouble getting from your room to your post than you might as well not even come. A cripple like you wouldn't be much help if there was an attack."

He sweatdropped. "I really appreciate yer concern, y'know that Shuu-san?"

"Anytime," Asatenshi assured him with a shrug. "After all, _someone_ has to make sure you stop thinking you're some kind of hero just because you're too stupid to take care of yourself." She paused, then, on a surprisingly kind note, added, "And you're not helping anyone if you don't get some sleep once in a while."

"Who says I ain't gettin' any sleep?"

"No one has to _say_ it, moron, because anyone with eyes can tell." She waved a hand at him, leaning back against the stronghold's outer wall and rattling off a list of ailments that sounded almost rehearsed. "Paleness to the skin, ovals under the eyes, occasional shakiness, especially in the hands – you know, basically looking like hell. I'm not the healer my sister is, but we did go to the same classes as children, and I'd say you're living on about four hours of sleep a night, at best." Her voice took on a sudden harsh note. "You can't possibly spend that much time brooding over Hikaru, can you?"

Koji frowned, but withheld the comments that he really wanted to make. "I'm not much of a brooder."

"You'd be even less of one if you just gave it up," she shot back, closing her eyes and putting her hands behind her head. "You don't have a chance, anyway."

The bandit's fists balled up at his sides, but he kept his temper. They still had two long hours ahead of them, and Koji wasn't in the mood for one of their infamous arguments. "That's yer opinion. Mine happens t'be a little more-"

"Delusional? Ridiculous? Which adjective would you prefer, _co-leader_?"

_Co-leader…_Doro echoed pityingly. _Such a weak title for such a strong person_. 

"Give it a rest," he growled at the both of them. "I'm gettin' sick of this same damn conversation. You act like Hikaru-san's th' only thing I ever think about, as if there wasn't a gang I had t'lead."

Shuu cocked an eyebrow, her reply dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so _you're_ the one leading them now, hm? Funny; all this time I thought it was the seishi who bore that title."

_Yes, Tasuki is the leader… and Hikaru feels an affinity towards leaders…_

The bandit leaned back against the building, turning his face away from Shuu's so she wouldn't see the scowl on his features. He didn't want to give her that pleasure. "Let's jus' get this watch over with – _in silence_, if ya don't mind?"

"I forgot that irritability was one of the signs of sleep deprivation, too," Shuu grumbled, giving a huff of annoyance and looking away. "Stupid bandit."

"Nosey woman," he shot right back.

A heavy silence reigned in the small clearing for several long minutes, but neither Asatenshi nor co-leader seemed willing to break the tension that hovered between them. Both were lost deep in their own thoughts, turning over their separate ideas and making arrangements for their future plans. And if the quiet bothered them, neither wanted to show it. Besides, they were used to these temporary spats, and both knew that in ten minutes or so they'd push past it and move on with the evening. It was almost a ritual, by now.

Not surprisingly, Doro broke the quiet. _I wonder what Shuu thinks about you and Tasuki and this whole leadership business_, he remarked innocently, as if it were just a simple, passing thought. _She's an interesting woman, after all, and her opinion might reflect the opinions of others…_

That was ridiculous. Koji wasn't going to overthrow his friend, so there was no reason to ask Shuu about it. That would only raise suspicion, and that was the last thing he wanted.

_It would only be out of curiosity. You might discover that people actually _want_ you as the leader._

If that were the case, Hakurou would have chosen _him_ over the seishi bandit, Koji argued inwardly. But Hakurou made the right choice. Hakurou _always_ made the right choice. He had to be certain of that one thing, because if that was a lie than almost everything he had ever believed – everything he had ever striven to become – would be a waste. So, there was no reason to ask a question that already had a perfectly good answer. Tasuki was the leader because he was the best man for the job. Period.

_And you're happy with that logic, are you?_

"Na, Shuu-san…" Koji said hesitantly, almost afraid to ask his next question. Asking something like this felt like a form of betrayal – to Hakurou _and _Tasuki – and he almost cut off right there and told her to forget about it. But Doro sat in the back of his mind, his voice a smooth, hypnotic purr that made everything sound so right, so perfect, so absolutely harmless. There was nothing wrong with just asking a simple question, right? It wasn't like he was going to _do_ anything with the answer. He was just curious. And if Hakurou was wrong, well, so what? No one was perfect. Maybe he _would_ have made a better leader. Maybe Doro wasn't the only person who believed that.

Maybe he believed it, too.

"Na, Shuu-san," he said again, more confidently this time. "What d'you think of Tasuki?"

"He's an idiot," was the almost immediate answer.

"That ain't what I meant! I _mean_, how d'you think of him as the Reikaku leader?"

"He's an idiot," she said again, not skipping a beat.

Koji could have torn out his hair; sometimes he forgot that Shuu could be so elusive. "No, that ain't what I mean either! I mean, er…" he paused, wondering how in the world he could explain this. "It's, y'know, how d'you think of him an' I leadin' the stronghold? Like, the way we do things? D'you think… I dunno, d'you think it's the best way?"

The Asatenshi sister was quiet for a moment. Perhaps she didn't want to answer his question. Or perhaps she just didn't know exactly how to answer it. Whatever the case, after a long, healthy pause, she opened her mouth and said: "It's the same as almost every other political system I've ever seen. At the head is the smiling face with the comforting words and the aura of strength. Just behind them is the person who does all the actual work. Both are respected, but only one carries the title of 'leader,' so only one is looked to when something goes wrong. But the one who is looked to, in turn, looks to the person behind them, who then figures out a solution and lets the leader take the credit." She yawned, stretching her arms above her head as if to show Koji how bored this conversation and his presence made her feel. "Reikaku's operation is painfully typical, that's all."

_And there isn't much justice in it now, is there?_

"…So does that mean you think I'd make a better leader than Genrou?"

Shuu barked out a harsh laugh, gesturing towards a nearby stone. "That _rock_ would make a better leader than your little friend. Anyone who worries so much about themselves, who's too self-centered to notice when…" she paused for a moment, then switched her line of talk and instead said, "Anyway, he isn't fit to rule a pile of dirt, much less a stronghold of bandits. Yeah, I think you'd make a better leader, but so would every other bandit on this mountain." The young woman glared at him, as if the question finally struck her as unusual. "Why do you care? Thinking of pulling a Reikaku takeover?"

"No," he objected a bit too quickly. "I was jus' curious, s'all."

"You don't really think something that crazy is going to win over my sister, do you?"

"I told ya I ain't gonna do somethin' like that!" Koji insisted, immediately placing himself on the defensive. Because he didn't intend to overthrow Tasuki, and he desperately didn't want anyone to think he would even _consider _such a thing. Because he wouldn't!

Because he already had…?

And Shuu had no right to trespass on his private life anyway. After all, she was the one always telling him to "stay out of her business." That's right – Shuu was _always_ like that, always such a hypocrite. Koji didn't know if he or Doro remarked on this – each day it became harder and harder to know which were original thoughts and which were suggested by his strange companion – but the realization struck him hard and ignited a spark inside of him. Suddenly, he didn't want to be anywhere near Shuu. Suddenly, he wanted to put _her_ on the end of his wrath, instead of the other way around. "An' who said this had t'do with tryin' t'win over yer sister?"

Asatenshi's eyebrows rose at the sudden snap in his voice, but she kept her own tone calm and deadpan, as usual. "Stubborn bandit." She stood, cracking her neck and putting her hands behind her head. "Well, I guess you can do whatever the hell you want, but chasing stardust seems like a pretty pointless hobby."

_Chasing stardust… because _you _can never reach that sky… is _that_ what she thinks?_

Koji's temper flared at her words and Doro's jab. He'd show her. He'd show all of them he wasn't some lackey meant to crawl around in the dirt all his life! He'd prove to himself and Shuu and Hikaru and everyone that he could reach that sky; that he was _meant_ for that sky! Because he _was_ meant for it! He _had_ to be! He _had_ to be…

"Well, not that you care, but I still think you should just give it up."

Needles of ice filled the bandit's voice. "And I still think you're a frigid cunt who should keep her fucking nose out of my fucking business."

The words tore their way out of Koji's throat before he could stop them, but once they were out he knew he had no intention of taking them back. They were justified after all, weren't they? _Of course_, he thought Doro whispered in his ear, though perhaps it was his own frantic mind. Shuu always snapped at him, called him an idiot, even hit him when he didn't deserve it. She'd had it coming. She _had_!

Asatenshi pulled back, and for a brief moment her eyes showed real surprise, and something that almost looked like hurt, and for that same instant Koji felt sudden, overwhelming remorse for his actions. But then the sadness vanished, replaced by a powerful rage. Shuu brought her left hand up and backhanded him across the face, sending a burst of magic into the strike and causing the bandit's entire body to jerk with the sudden energy. The slap seemed to knock all the sympathy from him, and when he looked up again it was with a face filled with rebellion.

"Do it again," he challenged, mouth tight, hands actually aching for violence. Just once he wanted to dish out what he'd always taken without complaint. Just once he wanted to unleash all his frustrations, and he wanted to unleash them straight onto the infuriating young woman. Just once he wanted her to tease him, aggravate him, call him an idiot and tell him he sickened her. Just once he wanted her to hit him again, so _he_ would have an excuse to hit her back. "Go ahead, Shuu-san. Do it again. See what happens."

A short, almost maddening silence, then:

"I hate you."

Asatenshi growled it suddenly, her head bowed as she gazed up at him through her long black bangs. Those eyes looked like twin emerald flames, burning brilliantly with pure disgust… but there was something else, too, even though Koji couldn't exactly place it. And it was that "something else" that made her words sting. She jerked her head up again, her voice a near shriek as she slammed a fist into the wall of the stronghold. "I hate you for everything you've ever done, to me, to Nee-san… and to _him_!" Koji blinked at her harsh words, wondering whom she was talking about and why it seemed like she wasn't speaking to him at all, but to someone right behind him…

Her eyes refocused, and now the fiery beacons _were_ aimed directly at the Reikaku co-leader. "And if you want me to shut up so badly, then I'll just leave. You can guard the stronghold by your own damn self – you already seem to think you can do it anyway." She turned to go, her body still crackling with pent-up anger and magic, but she stopped at the last moment. She jerked her head back in his direction, barking out a harsh, humorless laugh. "You're a complete fool, you know that? Willing to gamble everything just because you're so damned jealous of your stupid little friend. And you really had no idea you felt that way, did you? You've _never_ known about it, and now when it finally makes itself so obvious you won't even _acknowledge_ the fact! No wonder it was so easy…"

She trailed off again, jerking a hand across her face and letting it rest on her chest. Still glaring daggers at the bandit, Shuu disappeared in a flash of emerald magic; presumably back to her room, and as far away from the Reikaku co-leader as possible.

Koji stood there in silence for almost a full minute, simultaneously seething at and pondering over her string of remarks. "…Jealous?" he finally asked the quiet night air. "What th' hell is she talkin' about? I ain't jealous-a Genrou…"

_Of course you aren't._

"I mean, why would I be jealous-a my best friend? An' _Genrou_, of all people! That's jus' ridiculous…"

_Absolutely ridiculous._

"I mean, I ain't got nothin' t'be jealous _of_! All Genrou's got is some good luck, really – I mean, even Shuu-san said she thought I'd make a better leader'n he would."

_You can't be jealous of someone you're already above._

"Right."

_Right_.

…Right?

---

It became something of a game, really. Each day Tasuki would wake up, go to breakfast, and move into a side room to talk about battle plans with Koji. Then he and Koji would disperse, usually until dinner – they rarely spoke outside of business anymore, though neither paid much attention to the widening rift – and Tasuki would move about the stronghold, seeing how long it took him before that familiar tug came at his chest. Two hours. Four hours. One time, he managed to hold out for almost a full day. But then, in the end, the pull came, the pain returned, the worries and fears that he shoved away each night boiled back to the surface. And in the end, like a deprived addict, he sought out that which healed, that which allowed an escape.

In the end, he always sought out Hikaru.

She sat on the floor of his room on that particular day, tending to Chichiri. Once she finished with that, she would play nurse to the injured bandits, eat a small dinner, spend a short time speaking privately with Shuu, then head to bed in preparation for her nightly watch with Genji. Tasuki knew her schedule almost as well as he knew his own, so he had no trouble finding her that morning.

"Oi… Hikaru?"

She glanced up, smiling her familiar, warm smile. "Ah, hello Tasuki. Sorry for intruding, but I'll be finished with Chichiri in a moment."

She always said that. Just like he always said, "Nah, ya don't gotta go if ya don't wanna," as if he didn't really care either way. The game was rehearsed, but somehow comforting. "I _guess_ I wouldn't mind if ya stuck around fer a while…"

Hikaru's smile widened. Each day she seemed genuinely surprised and overjoyed that he, in his own roundabout way, wanted her around. She settled herself more comfortably on the bed, setting aside Chichiri's meager breakfast and turning her attention towards the bandit. Tasuki took a seat next to her. His eyes trailed to the pale seishi on the floor, his chest still rising in those slow, even motions. Nothing had changed in the past month, the bandit thought with a sigh. Despite all their efforts, nothing had changed.

But no, that was wrong too. If there had been _no_ change, then there could still be hope. If Chichiri was no better, but no worse, then they could keep grasping at their hopes. But the monk was growing thinner, weaker, paler; each day, he was drawing closer and closer to an inevitable death. Each day, he drew further away from Tasuki. Each day, Tasuki became more and more alone. Each day, he clung even tighter to Hikaru.

"I believe he's getting better," the young woman said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. She said that a lot these days. Tasuki couldn't decide if she said it for his benefit or her own. "It's slow… painfully slow… but deep down I think he _wants_ to come home. If he can just break free from whatever binds him to that place—"

"Maybe…" the seishi bandit interrupted, "maybe it isn't…"

No.

He trailed off, unable and unwilling to finish his sentence. He kept his eyes on Chichiri's peaceful face, but he felt Hikaru watching him. He could feel her presence brushing at the tip of his mind, her entire body emanating a strange blend of comfort and curiosity. She pulled at him, tugged him towards his darkness, towards the bitterness and emptiness and questions and fears and doubts that he thought he'd buried so long ago. She pushed him straight into that dark pit with almost no hesitation, with almost no sympathy. But always, always she held her hand out to him before he jumped into that void.

"Maybe it isn't _what_, Tasuki?"

He grabbed it and plunged.

"Maybe it isn't right fer us t'be _tryin'_ t'bring him back," the bandit said quietly, more as a timid suggestion than an actual remark. "Chichiri doesn't want this. He wants t'stay in his little paradise an' he's doin' everythin' he can t'hang onto it. An' if that's what he wants, then what right d'we have t'try an' stop him? It's his life, ain't it?"

"But I believe that he—"

Tasuki snorted. "If he wanted t'come back so damn badly, then he'd-a done it himself by now. Chichiri's strong like that, y'know? He doesn't need help. He _never_ needed help." And even when he did, Tasuki could never give it to him. Worthless. Always so damned worthless. "But he ain't done nothin', he's only gotten worse, so he must not want outta there as badly as you seem t'think he does. So… so, I mean, it jus' wouldn't be right, y'know…"

Tasuki clenched his trembling hands, pressing his forehead down atop them as he fought to keep his vicious thoughts away. It sounded so self-sacrificing, the way he'd said it. He sounded like a real noble hero, didn't he, when all along…

"Gods, but I'm so damn sick of bein' abandoned," he whispered.

"Never."

"Always. Everyone—"

"No. Not everyone. Koji-san has not abandoned you. Chichiri _will_ return. And please, Tasuki, if you can believe nothing else about me, than please, trust me…" Smooth fingers cupped around his hands, steadying the shaking, and another arm reached around in a gentle embrace. The bandit kept his eyes closed, but he felt the weight of someone's head against his shoulder, and the pressure and warmth of a body leaning against his own tensed muscles. Long seconds ticked by and neither said a word, but Tasuki relaxed, and Hikaru eventually pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Tasuki," the young woman said. "All this time, I never thought about how hard this must be on you. Watching Chichiri weaken each day, having to sit by helplessly, unsure of what to think or do… you start to think that he isn't trying hard enough, and you start to wonder how much he really wants to come home."

The bandit kept his eyes focused on the milky hand of the Asatenshi, ashamed to meet the eyes of such a trusting young woman. She believed in him, to her very core. And she'd never abandon him so long as she never knew what existed at that core. So he just nodded; accepting her words, playing the brave victim in his sick little game, letting her believe what she wanted to believe.

"But I don't just say he's improving to make us all feel better, you know!" Hikaru's concerned tone left as quickly as it had come, replaced once again by her usual optimistic lilt. She hopped off the bed, kneeling down next to Chichiri and gesturing towards his sleeping face. "Here. Come closer, Tasuki, and watch Chichiri. Watch him closely, or else you'll miss it."

With no better option, Tasuki obeyed. The Asatenshi woman placed her hands over the monk's chest, chanting an unintelligible spell under her breath. A small orb of emerald energy appeared in her hands, seeming to float between she and the monk but never quite touching either of them. Tasuki tried watching Chichiri and not the mysterious ritual; Hikaru seemed almost alien when she performed her spells, but there was something beautiful in it, too—

"There!" she cried.

Tasuki jerked his head back down just in time to see Chichiri's eyebrow twitch, ever so slightly. Hikaru broke her connection, meeting the bandit's eyes and grinning triumphantly. "Did you see it, Tasuki? Movement! That means he feels it, deep down! That means he's responding!" She frowned, no doubt noticing that Tasuki's face did not mirror her own excitement. "You did see it, didn't you?"

The bandit shrugged, leaning back against his bed. "Nah, I saw it. I jus' don't understand what th' big deal is. Every time I talk t'him, like ya told me t'do, he does that twitchy thing. So it don't mean nothin', not really…" he trailed off, blinking at the unusual expression on the Asatenshi woman's face. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling, if that were possible, and the smile stretching across her face made him feel like he'd just stumbled upon the Meaning of Life. The seishi cocked his head in confusion, a tiny frown tracing his features. "Eh, Hikaru, you all right…?"

"Chi… Chichiri's been reacting that way… when you _speak_ with him?" she finally managed to stutter out. He nodded. "Wh… why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It didn't seem like anythin' important. Like I said, he did it every time, so…"

Hikaru wasn't listening anymore, but rather muttering hurriedly to herself as her hands traced nervous patterns across the hem of her dress. "His voice alone has such power; I never realized just how strong the bond truly is. Oh, but this changes everything, or it could, at least, but I'll have to test it first to see just _how_ powerful of a connection they possess…" she looked up, meeting Tasuki's thoroughly confused gaze. "I'd like to try an experiment, if you don't mind. Have you ever tried touching Chichiri?"

"Uh, no…"

"Good. I mean maybe that's good. We'll see in a moment, deshou?" Feeling he needed to make some sort of reaction, Tasuki shrugged. "Here. Come here, please? Kneel down next to him, right beside me… yes, right there, thanks. Now, Tasuki, I know this sounds sort of strange, but I want you to put your hand against his forehead and call his name. Will you do that for me, please?"

The bandit glanced up at her, then back down at the monk. He had no idea what Hikaru was planning, but she certainly seemed excited about it. Whatever it was, he thought, it probably wouldn't work, but he might as well humor her. It was the least he could do after everything she'd given him in just that one setting.

Tasuki placed his palm against Chichiri's cool forehead, murmuring the monk's name. "Oi, Chichiri…"

Seconds passed. Nothing happened. The bandit sighed; just as he'd thought. Another failure. Always failures. But at least his doubts and fears had been pushed into the background again. And Hikaru wasn't going to abandon him – she'd promised, though perhaps not in so many words. That was something, he thought. That was at least _something_.

"Well, it was worth a try, na, Hikaru—"

And then Chichiri grimaced.

It was the faintest hint of a grimace, really: just one side of his mouth twitched downwards into what might be a frown, and his eyebrows scrunched together in a look of discomfort, even pain. But more importantly was the way he and Tasuki's body's lit up with the faintest bit of a crimson glow, as if some part of their souls were reaching towards each other, trying to connect, trying to become complete once again.

The glow settled and faded within a few seconds, and the pained expression disappeared even sooner than that. Tasuki sat back hard on his bed, his entire body tingling with a faint sensation of… he couldn't explain it, exactly. A sort of wholeness, or at least a great desire to _be_ whole. He'd forgotten that feeling, over the years, that strange connection that kept all of the seishi together no matter how many miles or years separated them… Remembering it was like a jolt to his entire system. He instantly felt better and worse all at once. Because he'd _had_ that, once, but in the end he'd still let it all slip away, bit by bit…

"Oh, Tasuki!"

Hikaru, oblivious to the bandit's inner turmoil, threw herself upon him in a bear-hug, tackling him to the bed and squeezing him so hard he thought he might pop. "I can't _believe_ it, Tasuki! I can't believe it – I'd _never_ thought it – but oh, you've been the answer all along! The two of you are so tightly connected, I should've seen it from day one, but I never… I'm so stupid sometimes, but it's going to be all right, it's going to be all right because we've found Chichiri's key! We've found his key, and we're going to really, finally start working on getting him out of there! Oh Tasuki, I absolutely love you!"

At her last words, their eyes met and locked for a few long seconds. The young woman, bright and smiling, and the bandit, lost and bewildered. She stared for a moment, a slow blush spreading across her cheeks, then laughed and untangled herself from his long limbs. She stood, still staring down at the dumbstruck bandit and still grinning despite her reddened cheeks. "We're going to save him, Tasuki," she repeated, just to make sure he understood. "With my magic and your connection…"

A short laugh escaped her throat, and she looked like she might tackle him in another embrace. But instead – and quite unexpectedly – Hikaru grabbed his hands in her own, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, her lips just barely brushing up against his flesh in a gesture that wasn't quite friendly, yet not exactly sensual. She pulled away, an unashamed smile still lighting her beautiful features. And all Tasuki could do was stare up at her, blinking, unsure what to think about the action or about his own hammering heart. He knew that feeling, though he hadn't experienced it in a long time. Not since…

A shadow fell across his face at that. He grinned for Hikaru's sake, but couldn't quite wipe the questions from his features. "Yeah. We'll save him, right?" But his heart wasn't in the words. Because Hikaru didn't understand, not really. She didn't understand that Tasuki couldn't possibly save anyone, when he didn't even know how to save himself. When all he could do was look straight ahead as he dangled above that void, too afraid to look down and too ashamed to look up, never quite reaching the bottom but never quite climbing to the top.

But through it all, Hikaru held his hand. And that, at least, was something.

---

Doro made him do it. He hadn't wanted to, but Doro just wouldn't leave it alone, just wouldn't leave this one little idea of his alone. Koji was tired of listening to it. And, because Doro _had_ kept at it so much, Koji found himself almost ready to believe it. That was another reason why he had to find out, why he had to just ask the question and get it out. Because if he didn't, he'd always wonder if it was true or not. He'd always have that doubt. That sort of doubt could tear him – and his already weakening friendship – to pieces.

_I believe Tasuki cares deeply for Hikaru, and I believe he will steal her from you if something is not done._

No doubt Doro was still toying with the idea of overthrowing Tasuki, an idea that Koji continued to discard and hotly deny, though he found it harder and harder to resist the little fantasies about supreme Reikaku rule. The more Doro spoke on it, the more logical it became. Only Koji didn't _want_ it to seem plausible – didn't want it to make perfect sense. So he needed to find out how Tasuki felt about Hikaru. That one thing could make or break everything.

And if nothing else, Tasuki's answer would at least shut Doro up and force him to start thinking about _real_ solutions, and not about these ridiculous "musings" he seemed to enjoy so much.

So, Koji took a breath and knocked on Tasuki's door.

Hikaru answered.

They stood there for a moment, watching one another carefully, and perhaps skeptically. The blissful smile on the Asatenshi woman's face disappeared with alarming speed at the sight of the co-leader, and a shadow almost seemed to fall across her features. She had been unusually curt with him since their confrontation a week ago – curt, and almost fearful, as if she thought him a loose cannon, someone who might lose their grip on sanity at any moment. Koji had tried to apologize numerous times, and she always said there was nothing to apologize for, but she couldn't deny the apprehension in her eyes or the worried crease in her brow. And she certainly couldn't deny her sudden stiffness towards her former friend. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Koji-san."

Something invisible stabbed into Koji's chest, and he thought he heard Doro clucking sympathetically. "Ohayou, Hikaru-san," he answered in a failed effort to keep the hurt out of his voice. "What are you…?"

"Just finishing up with Chichiri," she answered, angling herself around the bandit in such a way that she wouldn't have to touch him and didn't have to take her eyes off him. "Tasuki's in there, if you wish to speak with him. I must be off. Dewa, Koji-san."

The co-leader moved as if to stop her, but pulled back at the last second. He watched her quick progress down the hall and out of sight, wondering if she had noticed the regret in his eyes. Wondering if she even cared anymore. With a deep sigh, he moved into the room, his gaze falling on his redheaded comrade. Tasuki was leaning over the edge of his bed, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting across his laced fingers. He seemed to be staring at someone who didn't exist, his amber orbs twitching just slightly as if the invisible person had made a cruel remark. Koji couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his friend look so open and vulnerable, and he nearly turned around and left the Reikaku leader to his privacy. But Doro nagged at the back of his mind, reminding him that _Hikaru_ had been in here only a moment ago, and surely _she_ had seen him like this. Surely Koji had more of a right to peer into Tasuki's soul than _she_ did, right? Unless, of course, Tasuki cared for _her_ that much…

"Oi, Genrou."

The bandit's head jerked up with a start, his amber orbs wide with surprise. Their eyes met, and for a moment the co-leader was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer fragility peering out at him from those twin portals. But a moment later the shields were back into place, the seishi was grinning, and Koji was left to wonder if he hadn't simply imagined it. "Oh, Koji! Sorry, I didn't see ya standin' there. C'mon in, have a seat, what's up?"

_He's almost as talented with his mask as Chichiri_, Doro remarked idly. _Slip it off in front of people you love… slip it on in front of people you don't. _He paused, then went on in a dismayed tone: _Oh my, but that would mean that Hikaru is—_

"You got a minute?" Koji asked, snapping off Doro's comment even though he already knew how it would end. "I wanted t'ask you a question." He glanced over his shoulder, then closed the door behind him. "It's kinda, ah, it's kinda personal."

"Uh, sure, no problem," Tasuki agreed readily, moving to sit on the floor. Koji settled down directly across from him, and just slightly to the right of the comatose monk. The co-leader glanced over at Chichiri, blinking in surprise. He had become so used to seeing the sleeping form that he sometimes forgot it was even there. Tasuki noticed his gaze. "No change," he explained with a sigh. "Still no damned change. Hikaru says he's making progress, though." The bandit brightened at the mention of the Asatenshi sister, and swiftly changed the subject. "But hey, this ain't about Chichiri. Somethin' ya wanted t'ask me?"

"Yeah, actually." Koji turned his eyes downwards, studying a dark stain on the wooden floor. Reikaku really needed a makeover. "It's about Hikaru. I wanted t'know if… or, or maybe 'what' would be a better way t'put it…"

_Remember that saying, "discretion is the better part of valor"?_

Yes.

_That is damned lie. History is made when people leap. So close your eyes and jump._

"Are you in love with her?"

Tasuki didn't answer right away, which worried Koji. Well, perhaps it would be better to say that it worried _Doro_, though the two were so connected by now that it felt like the bandit's own emotion. Still more disconcerting were the first words out of his mouth. "Why wouldja think somethin' like that?"

_Not "of course not"?_

Not "yes," either, Koji reminded him. "I dunno, it's just, ya seem t'be spendin' an awful lotta time with her. I mean, she's always in yer room—"

"Takin' care-a Chichiri," Tasuki said.

_What a lovely excuse._

Koji made it a point not to answer Doro's remark, though he couldn't stop from hearing it. "…An' it's jus', it's jus' the way ya look at each other sometimes, and how yer always chattin' with her… an' I know how she feels about you…"

To the co-leader's extreme surprise, Tasuki laughed. "C'mon, Koji, ya think that jus' 'cause some girl's got a little crush on me, I'm gonna be all over her?" He shook his head, chuckling again. "Nah, Hikaru 'n' I are jus' friends. I… I c'n talk t'her about things, y'know, things that're kinda hard t'talk about. Deeper things. Heavy things…" There was that look again, if only for a moment. He glanced up, grinning. "But that's all she is t'me. A confidante. Like Chichiri, or like you. That's all."

_Watch his eyes._

What?

_Watch how he won't quite make eye contact. Watch the wavering in them. Watch how his smile curls up just a bit too much on the edges. He's forcing it. He's forcing everything._

You think he's lying?

_I know it._

Koji looked at Tasuki skeptically. He had been ready to believe his friend – after all, he _trusted_ Tasuki – but Doro's words made him wonder. And watching the Reikaku leader now, _really_ looking at him instead of just seeing what he wanted to see, he had to admit that things didn't look as certain as Tasuki made them sound. There was something strange in his expressive amber orbs. Not so much a dishonesty, but definitely insecurity. Perhaps the seishi wasn't trying to hide anything – perhaps he just didn't know himself.

The co-leader frowned. Why was he thinking like this? Why was he questioning his closest companion's words? He should just leave well enough alone; he knew that. He should just trust Tasuki; he knew that, too. But there was Doro, and there were the signs…

"You sure that's all there is to it?"

A pause, then: "Yeah, that's all."

"'Cause y'know, Genrou, I mean if you 'n' Hikaru feel that way about each other…" Koji took a breath. He didn't want to say this, but he knew it was true. He knew that deep down, if that was the way things were going to go, then he would let them go that way. He still had it in him to bow out gracefully. "If that's how things are, then I'll stop tryin' to – I mean, I want th' two of ya t'be happy…"

_Even at the cost of your own happiness?_

Yes.

_Really?_

Yes!

"…So if you feel like that, an' she feels like that, then I'll… I wanna wish you th' best of luck."

_Liar._

Yes. Yes, dammit, he _was_ a liar! But it was better this way. It was right. Because Tasuki was still his best friend. He was his rival – he had _always_ been in his rival, Koji realized – but he was his best friend, too. So, if there was a mutual spark, then he wouldn't try to take that away. He wouldn't betray a faithful comrade, even if it was for the sake of love. Doro couldn't talk him out of that.

But Tasuki shook his head hard, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of his words. "C'mon, Koji, don't be stupid okay? You know girls drive me crazy, an' even if Hikaru is my friend she's still jus' a woman, y'know? Even if she does do a lot fer me… even if she feels the way she feels, even after…" Koji wondered where this was going, but instead Tasuki said, "An' anyway, even if I _did_ feel like that, you fell fer her first. I know ya've been interested in her since th' day she got here. So I want _you_ t'have th' luck with her." He laughed, but his heart wasn't in it. "I wouldn't snatch away somethin' like that, y'know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

_Two bandits meet in a room and tell one another blatant lies. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it?_

Tasuki wasn't lying, Koji insisted. He wouldn't do that. He was always honest, because he was such a terrible liar. He couldn't hide anything from the co-leader, especially emotions. Koji knew him too well for that. He also knew that Tasuki wouldn't go back on his words. No matter what he felt for Hikaru, he wouldn't express those feelings because he valued Koji higher than the Asatenshi woman. Just like Koji valued Tasuki above _her_, as well.

But deep within him, he knew that all his stubborn claims were total and complete lies. And in that same dark place, he could hear Doro chuckling softly.

---  
---

_Author's Mundane Ramblings: July 24, 2005; 7:04 PM_

Hao, minna-san!  
First off, might I be the first (fanfic author, anyway) to wish Kodachi-san a very happy birthday! I hope this verse makes a decent present!

**Random Chapter Comments **A rather slow chapter, really – one of my infamous CDCs, you could say. I almost cut this verse out altogether, but decided against that at the last moment. These three conversations really set up the next couple of action-packed chapters, so I can do a bit less explaining about _why_ people are doing what they do and just show what they do to you. Everything else you'll have to decide for yourself, though (it's no fun if I just give you _all_ the answers now, is it?).  
Oh, and just in case you were wondering about that joke of Doro's... well, I don't have time to tell you the whole story, but the punch line is: "That's no Controller of the Universe, that's my wife!" _(slaps knee and chuckles) _Man, demons know the best jokes, doncha think?

**Review Response **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, and a big "welcome aboard" to Kodachi-san and Hitomi-san! Now, onto Ye Olde Questions...

_-Mie-chan: "You won't kill (Koji) off, will you?" _– Well now if I answered that than there wouldn't be any suspense left! All I'm going to say is what I told my beta-pal Val-chan: at this point, no one is one-hundred percent safe. And other than that... I reveal nothing!  
_-Kodachi-san: "Okay, I'm confused now Tasuki also loves Hikaru?" _– That's a good question. Unfortunately, the characters have completely wrestled this story out of my hands, so at this point I'm not really sure how to answer that, either. It certainly does appear that way though, doesn't it?  
_-Kodachi-san: "And does Shuu have a Thang for Tasuki?" _– I think I can safely slap a big "N-O" over that one. Though that _would_ make for an interesting development...  
_-A lot of people: "What's up with Chichiri?" _– If you remember from the Program (Page 2), I said that this Movement takes place entirely in the real world, which meant no Chichiri for a while. I also mentioned that the timeline of this Movement goes back a bit. If my "timeline memory" serves me correctly, then Chichiri _should _be somewhere between Verses Twelve and Thirteen at this point – that is, he's just finished having his little chat with Kouran and Hikou in "Paradaisu no Toride," and he's preparing himself for the night when he'll confront his memories. Don't worry, he'll show up again in the Third Movement, though whether he'll escape from his fantasy world has yet to be determined...

**Show me the Verse Preview! **The Akutsuki attack, the Asatenshi fight, and surprising emotions begin to appear.

'Till Next Verse!  
Your Authoress – Dee


	27. Verse Eight: Iyokan

**Verse Eight: Iyokan  
****--Strange Feeling—**

"_To be with you would be foolish, foolish.  
__Yes, I'd say I'm an amazing fool…"  
__--Kobayashi Yumiko; "Akujo ni Naritai no"--_

Morning at Reikaku found the young bandit Satsuki scrambling up the hillside, crying out for any Reikaku members on watch to awaken their leaders. Tasuki and Koji emerged moments later, still rubbing sleep from their eyes – though neither looked particularly well-rested – and demanded to know the cause of the commotion. Satsuki's report was short but frightening:

"I was coming back from town, boss – I'd been down there for, uh, y'know, for a little fun, right? – and as I was heading up I hear sorta this rustling over by where you'd said the Akutsuki headquarters was," he paused for a breath, gulping down the water Genji had brought him. "So I went to go see what was going on, and outside their stronghold I see this group of thirty, maybe forty armed bandits, and they were starting to head this way! I ran back as soon as I could to tell you—"

"Good job, Satsuki-kun!" Tasuki interrupted, clapping the young man on the shoulder. "Real good job. Genji-kun, take care-a this kid, all right? Get him the best breakfast ya can, don't skimp on anything. Once that's done, come inta the meetin' room. We're gonna want yer input in this, too."

"Input?" Genji asked, wide-eyed and trembling. Satsuki mirrored the look of alarm. "What do you need my input for?"

Tasuki opened his mouth to explain, but Koji picked up the narrative, already heading back towards headquarters. "'Cause thanks t'Satsuki we have some time t'actually _make_ a plan, Genji-kun, an' we're gonna use that time t'it's full advantage. We only got an hour 'r so t'get set up, though, so we need t'hurry!"

The youth nodded and scurried off, a breathless Satsuki in tow. Tasuki jogged beside his limping companion, murmuring quietly: "I'll get Soshu 'n' Ken, an' we'll see what we c'n put t'gether. An Arrow Sweep might be th' best idea, considerin' where they're comin' from."

"Mm," Koji agreed quietly, grabbing at his side and trying to hide his grimace. Damn winter air, he thought as he paused to rest at the door. "We'll talk more once everyone's t'gether. I'll go—"

"Wait in th' meetin' room," Tasuki finished.

"But I should—"

"Rest," the bandit leader interrupted again, shooting his friend a glance that wasn't meant to be disobeyed. "I'll be there in five minutes, tops." Koji tried to protest again, but Tasuki cut him off with a grin and a light punch to the shoulder. "Yer genius brain ain't gonna be much use if ya can't think through th' pain, right?"

The co-leader scowled but nodded and trotted off to Reikaku's makeshift meeting room. Once he'd disappeared around the corner, Tasuki heaved a sigh and ran to grab the other gang's campaigners. They were going to need all the help they could get if they expected to win this battle on such short notice.

---

Koji paced up and down the small Reikaku meeting room, ignoring Genji's whimpered protests that he "really ought to rest (te kanjii)." His mind raced back and forth, mentally skimming both Satsuki's information and his own knowledge of the mountain as he tried to formulate a fast and effective attack plan. He barely noticed when Tasuki, Ken and Soshu walked into the room, and didn't even look up when Ken coughed lightly and closed the door behind him.

Tasuki opened his mouth to speak, but Koji cut him off behind he could squeak out a word. "We don't have much time t'set up, so we gotta do this close t'Reikaku. An' we need t'leave at least ten men 'r so behind, just in case some-a th' Akutsuki sneak past our defense an' get t' the stronghold. That'll give us forty men, so we'll be about evenly matched, maybe a little outnumbered but we've got th' talent. Genrou," he jerked around sharply on his heel, winced, and continued without missing a beat, "y'know that crest just t'the south-a th' stronghold? The one ya hit right before th' drop-off an' the river?" Tasuki nodded, but Koji was already moving on. "We're gonna use that t'guard our backs. There was a rockslide at th' bottom of th' pass not too long ago, so we c'n use th' debris t'hide behind t'wait fer 'em. We'll hide some archers 'round th' east side of the pass an' move in sometime durin' the battle t'fire over our boys' heads, an' th' Akutsuki won't know what happened 'till they're runnin' back t'their base. Everyone got that?"

Soshu raised his hand.

"Hai?" Koji queried, placing his trembling palms on the large meeting table. "Ideas? Somethin' I ferget?"

"No, it sounds fine, Aniki," Soshu agreed. "I was jus' wonderin', er..." he smiled sheepishly. "What_ are_ we makin' plans for, exactly?"

The Reikaku co-leader face-vaulted. Tasuki chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I was kinda in a hurry t'get 'em in here, didn't really mention the reason..." He cocked an eyebrow at his companion, almost as if to ask why Koji hadn't let him speak first, as was custom. The seishi grinned, but there was a definite edge to his voice when he said, "Want me t'handle this part, or d'ya think you can breeze 'em through it, too?"

The tiniest instant of silence filled the room. Tension hummed between the two friends. A miniature power struggle raged. But then, as quickly as it had begun, the moment passed. Koji executed an elaborate bow to his superior, waving for him to take the floor. The two bandits looked at one another, laughing, and the others soon followed suit. Koji took a quiet seat next to Genji, wiping at the thin line of sweat that had appeared along his forehead. The co-leader's hands shook visibly with every jerky movement; eventually he had to clasp them in his lap to still the quivering. Genji noticed the actions and frowned, but didn't say anything. He knew Koji would ignore his concerns anyway.

Tasuki explained the situation as briskly as possible, then sent Soshu to alert the other veterans of the battle plan, and to prepare the younger bandits for combat. Genji went with him, shooting his mentors one last frightened look before he left. "Ano... I'll see you later, I guess..." then he was gone, bouncing nervously on his heels as he followed Soshu out the door.

Ken bowed to his superiors. "I suppose I should go with them, then? I need to prepare myself for the fight, and—"

"Yer stayin' here." It was a simple command, but for some reason Koji's voice snapped it like a whip. Ken jerked back as if he'd been struck, giving the co-leader a chance to explain. "It ain't that I don't know you'd do a good job, it's jus' that after that last battle..." he gestured to the stub that remained of the young man's left hand. "An' I'd really prefer t'keep you back here, t'help th' men if some-a th' Akutsuki boys get through our line—"

Ken's jaw tightened. "Left behind for an injury? Then I suppose you're staying back as well, Koji-san?"

"No chance!" Koji snapped, at the same time Tasuki said: "'Course he is!"

The two whirled on one another, sparks flying between their eyes. Koji didn't need an invitation to speak. "Forty Akutsuki members 'r comin' up that ridge an' you think I'll stay behind?"

"No," Tasuki retorted. "I _know_ you'll stay behind, even if I gotta tie ya down t'get ya t'do it."

"Genrou, I ain't—"

"Yer still strugglin' with that injury, anyone c'n see that—"

"I think I know my own limits—"

"Hikaru seems t'think otherwise—"

"You think she knows _me_ better'n I do?"

"She certainly knows what's _healthier_ fer ya, since last time I checked she was _yer doctor_!"

"I thought up th' damn plan—"

"An' ya've helped train plenty-a bandits that c'n pull it off jus' fine."

"D'you really think you c'n win this without me?"

"I don't care one way or th' other, the point is I ain't risking _yer_ life out there!"

"So ya'd rather jus' risk th' whole gang instead, is that it?" Tasuki paused, mouth open, staring at Koji with open fear pouring from his eyes. Koji took a step back, hearing the leader's unspoken answer. "Dear gods, you would..." he muttered. Tasuki looked at him helplessly, at a loss for an argument. A surge of sympathy swept across the bandit co-leader, and he opened his mouth to utter an apology, to promise his friend that he'd stay behind and stay safe.

But then Tasuki uttered two desperate words. "Koji... please..."

And in that moment Koji knew that he'd won, and all sympathy drained from him until all that was left was a glowing sensation of victory. He had his ace. He'd called Tasuki's bluff, found his weakness. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before! How could he have been so blind? How could he have missed all those frantic looks, those worried glances, those tiny little protests these past few weeks? How could he ignore something so painfully obvious?

His ace, all along, had been Koji himself.

A surge of triumph rushed through his body, but the bandit composed himself. He softened his tone, speaking to Tasuki as if he were a stubborn younger brother who needed to feel like he had reached a bargain with his older, wiser sibling. His older sibling who had, for the first time, won the game.

"I won't be runnin' 'round whackin' Akutsuki heads off," the co-leader assured him. "I ain't that stupid. But I wanna be there t'help out if things get outta hand, y'know? Jus' in case ya need me fer some last minute plan changes 'n' all." He flashed a thumbs-up with his free hand. "An' c'mon, when've ya known me t'be stupid enough t'get myself killed?"

The seishi bandit smiled weakly. "Ya been pretty damn close, ahou," he grumbled under his breath. He hardened his face in a weak attempt to put on a show of leadership for Ken, who was still hovering by the door and watching their argument with almost morbid fascination. "Oh, fine, you c'n come along! But yer stayin' with th' archers, ya understand? I'm keepin' suicidal idiots like you as far away from th' line-a fire as possible."

Koji threw a teasing salute, still glowing from his sudden and unexpected victory. "Yer word is law, O Fearless Leader!"

Tasuki chuckled as leader and co-leader turned to exit the meeting room. Their eyes landed on Ken and both frowned. The new bandit raised his chin stubbornly, a slight fire burning behind his gaze. "I know the terrain, and you know that I think well on my feet."

"Ken, it ain't—"

"I've always lacked skill. I've known that. You've known that," he continued, voice soft but firm. "But you didn't accept me into the gang for my skills with a sword. I'm not a doctor, but I sincerely doubt that this," he tapped the side of his head with his remaining hand, flashing a tiny smile, "will be very much affected by how many fingers I have."

Koji opened his mouth to argue again, but Tasuki cut him off with a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine, we don't have time t'deal with this, so have it yer way!" he threw up his hands, pushing past the new bandit and stomping off down the hallway. "Damned young bandits, Hakurou never had t'deal with all this insubordination..."

Ken chuckled, his gaze just barely meeting Koji's as he followed the Reikaku leader towards the Main Hall. "See you on the battlefield, Koji-san."

Once the pair disappeared around the corner, the co-leader staggered over to the meeting room wall, leaning hard against the cracked wood. His breath came out in short gasps, partly from the pain of his recent movements and partly from the elation of his recent discoveries. He felt Doro chuckle, and allowed a muffled laugh to escape into the empty room.

_You know what this means, don't you?_

Koji knew. Oh, gods did he ever know. "I have somethin' on him," he whispered aloud. "For th' first time ever..." he put a hand to his forehead, an almost hysterical giggle escaping his throat. "I always knew he worried about me, but t'sacrifice th' rest of th' stronghold... I never knew he was so weak."

_You can destroy him._

The co-leader jerked upright, all mirth disappearing from his features. "No," he said, giving his head a sharp shake. "Genrou hasn't given me a reason t'do anythin' like that."

_But—_

"Nope." Koji pushed himself away from the wall, swaying a bit on his feet but managing to keep his balance. He limped to the door and down the hallway, whispering once again at the gleeful voice within: "Not. One. Reason. I'm a lotta things, Doro-kun, but a traitor ain't on th' list."

His strange companion grew quiet again, though Koji could feel him half-sulking at the back of his mind. The co-leader ignored it and headed to the main hall. By the time he grabbed his light armor and weapons, fought off another dizzy spell, and pushed his way through the crowded corridors, the Reikaku bandits were almost ready to leave. Koji, weaving his way through the milling bandits, reached the entrance of the stronghold just in time to hear Tasuki's cry of, "Absolutely _not_!"

The co-leader peered over a shorter bandit's shoulder, eyes widening as he watched Asatenshi Hikaru clench her fists and glare down the seishi. "There's no use arguing about it, Tasuki, I'm going with you and that's final."

"No, no, no!" Tasuki shouted, though his voice just barely reached Koji over the murmur of the other bandits. "There ain't no reason fer ya t'risk yer life out there! You ain't a fighter, an' we'll need ya back here t'take care-a th' injured. We can't let our only _real_ doctor get hurt..."

"I have no intention of 'risking my life.' I am fully capable of handling myself in a battle." Hikaru held up a hand, allowing a ball of emerald energy to glow in her palm. Her gentle eyes never once wavered, and for a moment she bore a striking resemblance to her inflexible sister. "I may not show it off as often as Nee-san, but I learned the same spells that she did, and I know how to use them." She let the ball of light fade, but kept talking. "Besides, if I'm at the battle I'll be able to reach the injured quicker. I might be able to save more men."

"Hikaru—"

"_Please_, Tasuki," the Asatenshi sister said quietly. "I haven't done anything to repay you for your kindness. Let me feel useful for _once_. Please?"

The seishi opened his mouth to argue, then closed it and turned away, scuffing at the ground with one boot. "You don't have t'do anythin' to repay us..." he muttered. Tasuki shrugged and tried to brush the argument off. "Go get yer supplies, or whatever yer gonna need. We won't wait long."

Hikaru's mouth split into a smile. "Arigatou, Tasuki!" she squeaked. She jumped forward as if to embrace him, but seemed to think better of it. Flashing the bandit another grateful smile, she brushed past Koji and dashed off down the corridor.

Koji's jaw tightened as he tried to explain away her coldness. She probably just hadn't seen him. That was all. He struggled past a couple of bandits, though he shoved these aside with a bit more brutality, and was just about to hail Tasuki when another female voice broke through the crowd of bandits. "Someone should have told me we were having a party."

Leader and co-leader's heads whirled to face Shuu, who managed to wriggle her way through a pair of bandits nearly twice her size. Her hair still fell haphazardly in front of her face, and her sleeping robe hung loosely about her shoulders. She had the distinct look of someone who had just gotten out of bed, though it was hard to tell if her irritation came from begin awoken, or from not being awoken sooner.

"What now?" Koji grumbled, sneaking up to stand behind his companion.

"Good morning to you, too," Shuu snapped. She ignored the co-leader and turned to face Tasuki. "So there's a battle or something, huh? Thanks for letting me know. Now I hardly have any time to prepare."

Tasuki blinked. "You wanna come _too_?"

"Brilliant deduction, O Genius Leader. Do you want me up front flinging magic, or in the back? I'm not picky, so long as I can fry something."

"Up front," Koji grumbled. "She's more likely t'get hit."

Shuu shot him a warning glare but didn't respond. The two had been on tense terms ever since their midnight argument and neither seemed willing to make up just yet – if ever. Asatenshi turned towards Tasuki, her voice oddly civil. "So what's the verdict, _leader_? And don't tell me I can't go – you know you can't stop me."

"You wanna test that theory?" Koji snapped, fists clenching. "You've got a lotta nerve jus' _assumin' _we need yer help in this battle, y'know that?"

Hikaru came bustling back through the crowd, a small satchel looped over one shoulder, but pulled to a sudden halt just behind Tasuki. Her gaze jumped from Shuu to Koji, then back to Shuu, surprised by the anger pouring from each set of eyes. "Ano..."

The younger sister ripped her emerald glare away from the bandit co-leader, turning it instead onto Tasuki. Her posture and tone relaxed as she waited for his answer. "Well?"

Tasuki shrugged. "I don't see th' harm in havin' another magic-user around, 'specially since we don't know what kinda weapons the Akutsuki have. Go ahead an' come, I'll find a place for ya, Shuu-san."

Hikaru's eyes widened at Tasuki's sudden politeness, but her jaw nearly dropped when Shuu offered him a curt bow and a "Domo, Tasuki-san." The young Asatenshi woman straightened again, brushing her unruly hair away from her face. "I need to find Genji-kun, see if I can borrow some of his clothes. No way am I fighting in this," she fingered her long robes, grimacing. "Any idea where he might be?"

Koji jumped in again, anger welling in his chest to the point where he thought he might burst. Anger at Hikaru for barely noticing him, anger at Shuu for her insolence, anger at Tasuki for never once consulting _him_, and anger at himself for his lack of power. Always, always his damned lack of power! "Genji-kun's busy gettin' everyone ready. He's prob'ly outside by now."

"Okay then, I'll look for him there."

"We don't have time for that," the co-leader said. He tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn't stop a slight snarl from spreading across his face. "By th' time you tracked him down an' went back to his room... we have t'leave _soon_, and we can't wait around jus' fer you t'get comfortable."

"So what do you intend to have me do, _co-leader_?" Shuu growled, taking a jerky step towards him. "Run around out there tripping over my skirts?"

"Yer sister doesn't seem t'mind it," Koji reminded her coolly.

"My _sister_ won't be—"

"You c'n always stay behind," the co-leader offered, a victorious smirk on his lips. Shuu opened her mouth to snap one of her infamous replies, but this time the bandit beat her to it. "At any rate, I've got more important things t'do than argue 'bout yer picky habits. In case you haven't noticed, there _is_ a gang of bandits comin' our way." He offered a mock bow to the young woman, then turned on his heel and marched through the doors, calling for Tasuki to hurry up.

Shuu turned to Tasuki, who shrugged. "He _is_ right. We don't have a lotta time."

"Oh, you're _useless_!" the Asatenshi woman cried, flinging up her arms and storming back off through the crowd. "Guess I'd better get dressed then... maybe I have time to slice off the bottom inch of one of my skirts, or perhaps _that_ would take too much of your precious time as well... _useless_... whipped... stupid..."

Hikaru giggled nervously. "Well, at least she sounds more like herself now. I never thought I'd hear Shuu-chan go three sentences without ridiculing you... it's a welcome change, I suppose." She touched a hand to his arm and gave it a light squeeze. "Regardless of _how_ it happened, I thank you for cooperating with her. You'll have to tell me the story someday."

Tasuki jerked out of her hold, rubbed the back of his head and muttered something about "getting ready," then hurried off to join Koji. Hikaru chuckled and followed, her bag of medical supplies swinging at her hip.

---

A small river flowed about a quarter of a _li _from the Reikaku stronghold, winding its way from the higher mountain peaks and into a valley lake somewhere to the far south of Konan. A natural disaster ages before had created a miniature canyon on the northern side of the river, where a seven-foot cliff face rose above the water. The bandits had beaten a narrow path down to the water's edge, but the area was still strewn with boulders and rubble, making it an ideal place to stake an ambush. Several years ago the bandit leader and co-leader had created an attack plan, known as the Arrow Sweep, specifically for this patch of Reikaku land. But now, as Koji glanced about the area, aching from the fast march and desperately wishing he could sit down, he realized that their favorite plan would need a drastic makeover, and in a hurry.

"Change in plans," he said to Tasuki, his eyes on the high cliff face above. "Akutsuki ain't gonna come in from th' north like we thought. They'll be heading down through th' east end, right on the rear of our archers."

"What d'you mean?" Tasuki inquired somewhat irritably. He had his hands full getting the ambushers into position, and was starting to grow a bit tired of Koji's unusual aggressiveness. "Anyone who comes here always—"

"From th' east," Koji said again. "Call it a hunch. Anyway, we're jus' movin' things around, okay? I'm gonna regroup th' archers at th' top of that," he pointed upwards, "cliff face. We'll fire down on th' enemy. Th' area's gonna be a little cramped, but if we put th' river at _your_ backs we shouldn't have much problem. We'll rain hell on 'em from both sides. Perfect."

"How d'ya know—?"

But Koji had already turned his back on the bandit leader and proceeded to usher his group of ten archers up the path and towards the cliff face. He knew Tasuki wasn't happy, but he also knew the leader would follow his orders. Koji had used their lack of time to his advantage – Tasuki had to do as he said, or risk losing all preparation time. _When it depends on quick action, I'm God on this mountain_ he remarked, or perhaps Doro had thought it. No matter.

Ken appeared at the co-leader's elbow. "Koji-san, where do you want me?"

"Back at th' stronghold," he said. "But since yer here I want ya t'stay with me unless I tell ya t'sneak a message down t'Genrou. Otherwise you don't leave my side, understand?"

"As you say, Koji-san," Ken glanced down at the milling bandits and frowned. "I thought we were going to set up with the cliff to our backs. Did I misunderstand the plans?"

"Nah, yer too smart t'do that. I jus' changed 'em around."

The new bandit fell into silence, which was fortunate because at that moment one of Reikaku's scouts dashed down the narrow path. He picked his way through the rubble until he stood at Tasuki's side. Koji watched, curious, as the youth gasped out his report to the bandit leader. Koji didn't have to hear the words to know what had been said: Tasuki's golden eyes glanced up the cliff face and met his friend's with honest surprise, then he turned and shouted for the thirty-odd bandits and two Asatenshi women to follow him to the riverside edge of the clearing. So, Koji thought with a touch of victory and a touch of worry, his hunch had been right after all.

"Everyone ready?" he muttered to his surrounding group. A muted rumble greeted him, and ten bowstrings hummed into position as they waited for the first Akutsuki head to poke its way around the eastern corner of the narrow passage. Koji's chest swelled with pride at the grim-faced warriors surrounding him. They were all young bandits – most had never seen a real battle with the gang – but all the same they were prepared to fight like hell against one of the most dangerous enemies in Reikaku history. He loved this gang with every ounce of his being, and trusted that these ten young men would never let him down. The co-leader pushed back the waves of fire racing from his abdomen, knocked an arrow to his bowstring, and readied himself for the battle. He'd have to make sure to never let them down, either.

---

Tasuki heard a stifled whimper to his right. He glanced over and found Genji standing nearby, sword in hand, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. The seishi sighed and wished Koji were here. "Somethin' wrong?"

"I was just thinking, Gen-sama," the youth whispered back. His eyes flicked up to where Koji's men were hiding, then over to the eastern side of the narrow pathway. "I was just thinking about the first bandit that pokes his head between those two big boulders, and about how Koji-sama has an arrow trained on that spot. Only that first bandit won't have any idea about it until he's dead, because Koji-sama never misses. And I was just thinking, how scared that first bandit is going to be, having to peek through into enemy territory like that, and how sad he'll be, when he realizes in the afterlife that he never even had a chance. And I was just thinking, Gen-sama, that I don't know what's going to happen either, and that I'm about as frightened as I've ever been. And I was just thinking that, you know, maybe that first Akutsuki and I have a few things in common." He sighed. "And I was just thinking that I wished I _hadn't_ thought so much, because it makes this a lot harder... te kanjii."

Tasuki flashed a confident smile at the youth, the sort of smile that said he never questioned things like _that_, and that Genji shouldn't, either. "The Akutsuki're tryin' t'kill us, kid. _We're_ jus' tryin' t'protect what's already ours. Focus on 'just thinking' about _that_ fer a while." He gripped the youth's shoulder and pointed towards the far right flank. "Now if ya've got room in yer head fer some thinkin' of a different kind, I want ya t'lead over there with Shuu-san. I'll take the middle – Hikaru'll stay near me – an' I'll have Soshu leadin' the left. Think ya c'n do that, Genji-kun?"

Genji could only stare wide-eyed at his leader. "Y-you want me to...? You really think I can...?"

"Koji's had a lotta faith in ya from th' start, an' I'm startin' t'see why." An unspoken understanding passed between them: this was Genji's chance to prove himself in a _real _battle, and to his true leader, no less. Tasuki shrugged and looked away. "But, if ya don't want to..."

"I do, Gen-sama! And I won't let you down!" Genji jerked a clumsy bow and hurried to the right flank, sending a whisper through the ten-man contingent for them to get down and stay silent. Tasuki chuckled at his fluttery but certain movements; terrified as he was, he was handling it like a real warrior. The seishi turned to his men and readied them in the same fashion. The small Reikaku contingent ducked into hiding and waited for the signal... and there it was.

That first Akutsuki marched through the passageway, a thoroughly confused expression on his features. He glanced back over his shoulder at his unseen companions, crying out: "It's deserted – there ain't a bandit in si—!"

A feathered shaft took him straight through the neck, and he fell over backwards with a strangled yelp of alarm. Tasuki smiled from his position. Koji's aim was as true as ever.

A shout of fury rose from behind the boulders, and the Akutsuki gang poured through, forty strong and blazing with battle-lust. Eleven arrows flew down from the heights above, eight Akutsuki fell to the ground, and Tasuki's forces rose to their feet and charged. The fight had begun.

---

Koji slipped easily into the rhythmic pattern of firing and reloading, firing and reloading, which freed the rest of his senses to the tastes of the battle. The Akutsuki had been caught completely unawares, which had given Reikaku the immediate advantage, but the rival gang was strong and driven by a force that seemed almost like terror; they regrouped in a hurry and gave as good as they received. It soon became apparent, however, that Reikaku had three powerful weapons that the Akutsuki could never hope to match: the first was the superior positioning and talent of Koji's archers; the second and third were Shuu and Tasuki.

The Asatenshi woman, a short knife in one hand and a ball of emerald magic in the other, had wasted no time in diving into the fray. She now stood right in the thick of the battle, whirling left and right with surprising quickness while her blade slashed in-and-out with a skill Koji hadn't known she possessed. But it was her magic that truly made her frightening. Shuu's body hummed with power, and she used it willingly, blasting emerald holes through any who dared draw too close and creating hills of wounded and dying Akutsuki wherever she walked. The Akutsuki gave her a wide birth, but she came on relentlessly, a virtual tornado of magic and destruction.

But if Shuu was a whirlwind among the bandits, then Tasuki was an inferno. His sword flashed in lightning-fast arcs, slicing through flesh and bone as if it were cutting silk. And never mind that he couldn't use his tessen in such a small area; he wielded the small fan like a club and a shield, switching from one to the other almost unconsciously as he blocked, ducked, slashed and spun away to his next target. Koji even paused for a moment to admire the brilliant display, though he had a hard time following his friend's movements – from his position it looked like one bright flame spinning through a sea of grass, and wherever the fire raged those hapless stalks dropped to the earth in a blaze of blood and screams.

The co-leader allowed his eyes to slide back over the field: Genji was handling himself well, and Hikaru was moving through the back ranks, tending to the wounded and flinging magic whenever she had a good shot. All the bandits were performing at the top of their game, he realized, and another flare of intense pride flowed through his body at the thought. No reason to miss out on anymore of the fun, then – time to return to the job at hand.

Koji knocked another arrow to his bow and searched the field for a good shot; it was getting difficult to find a clear opening, what with the Reikaku bandits mingling so freely with the Akutsuki, but he kept his sharp eyes peeled for any Akutsuki who happened to stray too far from the battle, or any archer who happened to leave himself a bit too exposed behind the tall, eastern rubble. Gods, but this was annoying – _why_ couldn't he be down on the field with the others instead of searching for—

There! Right on the edge of the river and away from the fight, a lone enemy stood knocking an arrow to his bow. The bandit was dressed in mottled grays and browns and had been almost impossible to see – an assassin, most likely – which was how he'd made it towards the back of the crowd without anyone noticing. Now, with his body just visible above the rocks, the assassin had a clear shot across the field, a perfect view of any Reikaku that he wished to destroy.

And he was aiming, Koji realized with a start, for the center of Tasuki's unguarded back.

"No more time t'admire th' strategy," the co-leader muttered. He knocked an arrow to his own bow and sighted down the shaft: it was a long shot, and the enemy was almost invisible in his camouflage colors, but the assassin's eyes glittered blue among the rock, and Koji had practiced far too long to miss a shining target like that. The assassin took care to aim, thinking he had all the time in the world; Koji pulled back his string, thinking that the assassin would be in for quite a surprise—

_Are you really going to let such a perfect opportunity escape?_

Koji halted, bow pulled taunt but the arrow still grasped firmly in his hand.

_What if he just _happens_ to fall? Who would tearfully take his position as leader, I wonder?_

"Ridiculous," the bandit hissed aloud, his voice lost among the battle cries. But he couldn't quite release the arrow, even as the assassin pulled back his string, even as the perfect shot opened before him, even as he started to loosen his hold on his own bow...

A ball of green energy flew across the clearing and hit the assassin square in the chest. His sharp blue eyes opened wide, then rolled backward, and he tumbled to the ground without a sound – not that it would have been heard in the chaos around him, anyway.

Koji's eyes darted across the clearing. Hikaru stood a few meters away, standing over a wounded bandit with a bandage in one hand and a glowing sphere in the other. She breathed a sigh of relief, and Koji breathed with her – she hadn't seen him; perhaps she hadn't even known the arrow was meant for Tasuki. Either way, she'd saved the leader's life. That was all that mattered.

His eyes swept the clearing again and fell onto Shuu's glaring gaze. Koji felt his heart stop beating. The young Asatenshi woman was staring straight at him, and there was no mistaking the knowing, accusing look in that fierce face of hers. Half a second passed, maybe less, then she dove back into the battle and disappeared among the Akutsuki. But the time felt like a millennium, and the damage had been done.

"I... I wasn't gonna let Genrou die," Koji fumbled, though of course she couldn't hear him. "I—I jus' didn't have a good shot, is all... I couldn't get a good opening, what with all our boys down there, an' the distance was so great, an' I..."

Koji was glad the other bandits couldn't hear his weak excuses or Doro's loud, triumphant laughter ringing between his ears.

---

Tasuki dug his blade into an Akutsuki's stomach, twisted, and ripped upward with a bone-crushing amount of force. His weapon was made for powerful strikes; the steel tore a jagged line from the enemy's belly-button to his shoulder, nearly slicing him in two. He shrieked with surprise and pain, but the seishi didn't see that; he'd already turned his blade on another attacker, and by the time the first bandit hit the ground Tasuki had beheaded another two. Both his blade and clothes were drenched in blood – none of his own, of course – but he barely noticed that, or the other bandits fighting beside him, doing their best to stay out of his way. Tasuki was a dangerous fighter, but a careless one, and had a hard time distinguishing enemy from ally in the bloody melee of battle. The Reikaku boys knew to give him a wide berth.

Someone – a hardened female bandit, he realized – charged at him with a pair of rusted daggers; he batted them aside with his tessen and drove forward with his sword. She ducked and he followed, but she was quick and rolled up underneath the leader, kicking at his kneecap. Tasuki stumbled, if only for a moment, and the woman seized her chance to attack. She stood, lashing out as she did and neatly slashing at his shoulder. Blood stained the ripped cloth, but if Tasuki registered the wound he didn't show it; the bandit regained his footing and whirled, using his tessen to block her second dagger strike and his sword to dive in for the attack. She was fast. He was faster. The woman collapsed to the ground with a cry, not that she had much of a choice: Tasuki hadn't left her with anything to stand on.

The seishi turned to meet his next enemy, only to find that there _were_ no other enemies. He blinked, rising back to reality and watching as the Akutsuki pulled back. Were they retreating? It seemed that way, but there was something on the remaining members' faces that made it look as if they hadn't lost, not yet anyway. Tasuki relaxed but kept his sword out, ready for a second wave. The other bandits followed his example, though they couldn't help but flash relieved smiles. Someone even raised a fist and shouted out: "Victory!"

"Unlikely," Shuu remarked. Tasuki looked over his shoulder to find both Asatenshi women picking their way through the wounded bandits towards the seishi. "Look at them; they don't have the feel of a beaten gang. At best they're regrouping, and at worst we've fallen into a very clever trap."

Tasuki nodded in agreement. He opened his mouth to order the Reikaku bandits to regroup, but Hikaru cut him off. The young woman had her face turned to the opening in the eastern wall, a look of concentration printed across her features. "Something's wrong... Shuu-chan, do you sense that as well?"

"Sense 'that'?"

"It feels like... like power, only twisted into something horrible. I've felt it all battle, but it feels closer, or stronger, now..." she strained in the direction of the "feeling" for another few moments, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she reached for the identity of the power... and then it hit her, and she went pale with fear, because she knew she was too late. "Oh, gods."

The earth erupted around them, covering the trio in debris and blinding them from the center of damage. Tasuki spit out mud and rock, scrubbing furiously at his eyes and peering through the drifts of dirt. "What th' _hell _was that?" he demanded, surprised to find Hikaru's slim fingers clasped in his hand.

"Maho," Hikaru gasped. "A user of dark magic. More than that, though. More disgusting than even that." She too strained to see through the settling dust, but her eyes peered towards the eastern ridge instead of the battlefield. "From... there!" A figure appeared on the edge of the opening, a young man cloaked in blacks and browns. Black flames crackled around his form, but before anyone could react he slipped back through the crevice and disappeared into the surrounding countryside. Hikaru's eyes narrowed and her fists tightened. "An abomination. A _demon_!"

She jerked her hand from Tasuki's grasp and darted through the veil of dust, dancing around the crater that now lay in the middle of the clearing with at least ten smoking Reikaku corpses littering its edges. The Asatenshi woman blasted two bandits out of her way and vanished through the fissure, on a direct course for the Akutsuki's sorcerer.

No. Not a sorcerer. A maho-user. A demon. And Hikaru was about to take him on. Alone.

Tasuki's heart caught in his throat and he sprinted after the young woman, leaving Shuu and the frightened remains of Reikaku's force to deal with the Akutsuki, who were charging back onto the battlefield with renewed vigor, now confident of at least a small victory.

---

"What th' hell is he doing?" Koji cried from his perch. He could only watch helplessly as Tasuki chased after Hikaru, anger and indignation rising in his chest. His eyes flitted back to the battle, where Soshu glanced about, trying to figure out the attack plan; but Tasuki had designated no leader, and the bandits had no idea who they should follow or what they should do. "That selfish, careless, brainless _idiot_..."

The co-leader punctuated each word with a flying arrow and managed to take down five Akutsuki before they collided again with Reikaku's forces. He picked off an Akutsuki whenever the opportunity arose, but the thin numbers – barely twenty on each side, he guessed, and many of those fighting with injuries – were tightly packed, and he had trouble getting a clear shot. Koji stared at the losing battle, at the Reikaku bandits – at _his _bandits – fighting with no plan, with no formation or even a decent idea of where they should attack. He gritted his teeth and set his bow on the ground. "No good. Takashi-kun, you're in charge," he barked to the bandit on his right. "I'm goin' down there. They'll all be dead if I don't."

Ken made a grab for Koji's sleeve. "But Koji-san, Leader said—"

"Yer 'Leader' _deserted his men_!" Koji roared, already drawing his daggers. "An' I'll be damned if I let that idiot be th' cause of-"

"Aniki!" Takashi called from nearby. The co-leader followed his pointing finger and stared in disbelief as a ripple of understanding passed through the battling Reikaku bandits. The group retreated away from the melee, reforming into a triangular pattern at their rallying point and around their newfound leader. A smile crept onto Koji's face as Genji led a final charge into the front line of the thinning Akutsuki forces, which finally broke under the ferocity of Reikaku's last attack. Takashi voiced everyone's amazed thoughts. "That little pipsqueak actually pulled it off..."

"Oi!" Koji snapped, grinning at the other bandits. "No one calls yer future leader a pipsqueak, y'got it? Leastways, not when I'm around." His eyes fell back to the battle, where the Akutsuki kept trying to retreat up the eastern crest. Reikaku's forces never once let up, though, and forced the Akutsuki to fight all the way to their escape. "C'mon boys!" the co-leader called, reaching for his bow again. "No sense in missin' th' winnin' part of the fight. Let's see if we can stop their remainin' men from reachin' that ridge."

Koji's eyes swept the battlefield a second time, surprised to see some Akutsuki still attacking with that same panicked ferocity. A few of them – insane with fear, Koji decided – even tried to take on Shuu, who slashed at any who dared get too close. The trio attempted to circle the young sorceress, but she pivoted easily, blocking their attacks and dealing out some damage of her own. Koji paused to watch the display for a moment, almost pitying the poor fools who thought they could take on an Asatenshi sister...

...And let out a shout of alarm as Shuu whirled to meet a man wielding a club, caught her foot on the edge of her skirt, stumbled, and received a vicious blow to the back of her skull. The Asatenshi sister forced the bandits back with a sharp blast of magic, took two tottering steps forward, and collapsed.

Koji didn't hear the rest of the bandits' excited cries as they slowly drove the Akutsuki off the battlefield. He barely heard his own command for Takashi to take charge of the archers. All he could hear as he slid down the cliff towards the injured Asatenshi sister was a soft thudding in his ears and his own taunting, stubborn voice.

"_We have t'leave soon, and we can't wait around jus' fer you t'get comfortable."_

"Idiot... idiot... idiot..." he shouted with each step, his side aching, his daggers drawn, his eyes focused on those Akutsuki leaping for Shuu, and all because of him, all because of him...

---

Shuu forced herself to her knees, peering through a veil of blood and dirt at the three Akutsuki bearing down on her. They were wary of her magic, which bought her a small amount of time, but whether she had three seconds or three hours, it wouldn't make any difference. The young woman knew her limitations. She readied her knife, wondering how she'd managed to hang onto it through the pounding in her head and the sudden shakiness racing through her body. Wondering if she even had the strength to wield it, now.

The Akutsuki closed in. Shuu gritted her teeth to stop the world from spinning, fighting to stand, fighting to ignore the sound of the bandit behind her screaming—

What?

Shuu whirled in time to see the third Akutsuki thud to the ground next to her. His hands grappled furiously with the hilt of a throwing knife that protruded from his throat, and even through her growing daze she recognized that smooth mahogany handle.

The young woman's remaining strength deserted her and she collapsed to the ground with a tired sigh. She managed to glance up through her bloody black bangs, just slightly, at the tanned bandit fighting tooth-and-claw with a pair of daggers, delivering death to any Akutsuki foolish enough to attack his injured female companion. For a moment Shuu had the image of a snarling wolf in her mind, standing over a pack mate, ready to die to protect its charge. Ready to die for her?

"Idiot," she muttered, and faded into darkness.

---

Tasuki could not remember ever running this fast or this desperately, and he still couldn't catch sight of Hikaru. The Asatenshi sister had followed the sorcerer, no doubt using that "feeling" of hers to track him through the woods. Tasuki did not have such a luxury, and had to pause every so often during his sprint to look for a clue as to where she'd gone. To the right, then the left – oh, that Akutsuki was leading her on a merry little chase – and finally in a loop back towards the river. The path didn't waver this time, and Tasuki became a blur. His feet hit the earth in a flurry too quick to follow, his arms pumped at his sides, and he pushed his seishi abilities to their absolute limit. He felt that his lungs would surely burst in a moment, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind the forest fell away and he found himself in a small clearing on the edge of the river. And there, with a ball of emerald energy glowing in her palms, Hikaru stood against the grinning Akutsuki sorcerer.

"...needed more help, and so we made a little 'deal,'" the sorcerer was saying, though the seishi didn't know or care what he meant by that. Tasuki took a step towards the young woman, one hand on his sheathed sword, but never had a chance to use it. The enemy – a dark-haired man with eyes the color of blood – saw the bandit out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "Not very sporting of you to send for help," he called to the young woman across from him.

Hikaru jerked her eyes away from her enemy for just a moment, open surprise flashing across her face at the sight of Tasuki, sword drawn, hovering at the edge of the clearing. "Tasuki, what—?"

The sorcerer seized his chance and plunged a fist into the soft earth, muttering under his breath. A moment later a wall of black flame rose from the ground and careened across the clearing, on a direct course for the Asatenshi sister. Hikaru whirled back around and brought up her hands, but before she could utter a spell Tasuki raced forward and knocked the young woman to the ground, the wall of black fire missing them by a hairsbreadth. Tasuki pressed Hikaru tightly to the earth, and for the tiniest insant their eyes met, their hearts pounded, and the young woman saw something in those bright amber orbs that made her breath catch, if only for a moment. Tasuki sprang to his feet as soon as the smoke cleared, glaring at his new enemy. He had sheathed his sword again, but a new, deadlier weapon now sat comfortably in his palm, and he didn't plan on waiting to use it. Tasuki had never been one for bantering during a battle, anyway.

"REKKA SHIN'EN!"

A wall of shadows sprang up before the enemy sorcerer, protecting him – though just barely – from the stream of fire that Tasuki unleashed on the clearing. The red-eyed man chuckled. "An intriguing weapon. I'd love to stay around and test its strength, but I have orders to follow, and two-on-one is hardly fair game. So... I'll be seeing you later." Tasuki could have sworn the remark had been directed at him, though the sorcerer faced Hikaru the entire time. The bandit took a step towards his opponent, but the man raised his cloak over his head and uttered another set of deep, guttural words. When the cloak fell, the man was gone.

Tasuki heaved a frustrated sigh and turned to face Hikaru, who had just risen to her feet. The Asatenshi sister gripped her arm but held herself steadily, either too proud or too angry to admit she'd been hurt. "Your timing is horrid," she said. "He was strong, but my magic was more than a match for that proud fool. And if I had beaten him, I could have found out the Akutsuki's next plans, how many men and sorcerers they had in their ranks, even their leader's name and appearance before I sent him back to whatever Hell he arrived from—"

"IDIOT!"

Hikaru froze mid-sentence, struck dumb by the ferocity in the bandit's outburst. More shocking still, though, was that look of fierce protectiveness in his eyes, and something else, something deep and powerful. Something that made her breath catch in her throat again, if only for a moment.

"What the hell difference does it make what you _might_ have gotten outta him?" Tasuki barked. "What the hell difference does all th' _possible_ information in the world make if there's also a chance that y'might die tryin' t'get it?"

"I just wanted to—"

"Jus' wanted t'what? T'help out Reikaku by havin' us lose our best Healer an' sorceress! T'help out Chichiri by havin' him lose his best hope fer survival! T'help out me, by havin' me lose...!" he shook his head, ending that train of horrified thought. "Enlighten me, Hikaru: how was yer death gonna do Reikaku _any_ good?"

"I wasn't going to die. I had the upperhand."

"Really? 'Cause that burn on yer arm suggests otherwise."

Hikaru clapped her hand tighter across the blackened wound; she winced but refused to cry out. She met the bandit stare for stare, as unwilling to give up this fight as he was. "I'm going to have to risk my life if I want to be of some use around here, Tasuki. And I _do_ want to be of some use. I want to repay you for your kindness. I want to..." But the sister's strength deserted her, and as the deep burn in her arm pulsed with a dark power she buckled slowly towards the ground, still struggling to keep her gaze on the bandit even as his face blurred and swam in the rush of pain. "I... I want to..."

Soft arms caught her before she hit the ground. The bandit pushed her black bangs away from her face, whistling as he felt the fever bubbling up under her smooth skin. "Shit. That guy's magic must be somethin' else."

"I was winning," Hikaru grumbled into his sleeve. "But _demons_... that filth doesn't fight fair..."

"You gonna be okay?" For a moment his voice read real terror.

"Mm. Temporary paralysis. A dirty trick. Nothing fatal." Tasuki hefted her up onto his back, but the motion was so swift and gentle that he was certain Hikaru could barely feel it. She managed to wrap her arms around his neck and scramble up into a slightly more comfortable position before relaxing against his shoulders. "I was still winning, though. Had him on the run. I could've done something _useful _for a change around here, destroying something like that..."

Tasuki flashed a crooked smile. "'Done something useful' huh? And what, if I may ask, d'you call what you've done fer me 'n' Chichiri 'n' th' boys so far?"

"What have I ever done for you, Tasuki?"

The bandit kept his eyes forward. Faintly, he could hear the sounds of the Reikaku bandits' shouts of victory. They were close to the battlefield, then, and the Akutsuki must have been driven from the site. Not that Tasuki was surprised, of course; he never went into a battle without expecting a full and total victory. He never worried about anything when he was on that field. He fought, and he killed, and he never gave a second thought about anyone because his bandits would take care of themselves and win. His bandits always took care of themselves, and they always found a way to win.

So why had his heart jumped so violently when he'd seen Hikaru run off on her own?

Hikaru gave the bandit a soft squeeze, and the breath from her mouth tickled at his neck as she murmured: "Ne, Tasuki, did you hear me?"

Tasuki turned his head towards the forest floor, chuckling weakly. "You really are an idiot, y'know that?"

---

Rallying. Charging. Fleeing. Attacking. Someone behind! – damn, her skirts – look up, quick, no, too late! Something heavy. Crash. Fire. Falling. Dizzy... too late, again, always, too late. Leaping. Screaming. Knives. Blood.

"_Koji...?"_

Shuu sat up with a start, lashing out with her fist at an unseen enemy. She grappled with her sheets for a moment, gasping to find her breath and save herself from the Akutsuki onslaught. The Asatenshi woman blinked, suddenly aware of her surroundings – and, more importantly, of the dull ache at the back of her head. She massaged her bandaged temples to quell the pounding, then turned her emerald eyes upwards to take in her surroundings. She was in a room on Reikaku – her room, she realized after a few confused moments – with soft light pouring onto the chipped walls and chilly wooden floor. Dawn. How long had she been unconscious? It couldn't have been more than one evening, though it was almost impossible to know for certain. Shuu noticed a shadow across her sunlit floor, and turned her head towards the nearby window. Koji leaned against the sill, his back to the young woman and his eyes on the golden disc poking above the Reikaku tree line. Dark circles lined his eyes, and his hands shook almost uncontrollably. Another sleepless night.

"Didn't I tell you to stop brooding and get some rest?"

Koji jerked around at her voice, neatly smacking his head against the top of the window sill. The bandit let out a curse of alarm, scowling at the Asatenshi sister from across the room. She met him with the same look, though hers was a bit softer than usual. "A nice 'Ohayou, moron,' would've been fine," he grumbled. "I would've been expectin' that..."

"Ohayou, moron," Shuu supplied with a sarcastic smile. "Does that make you feel better?"

"Not a bit."

"Then stop complaining. Did we win?"

"Of course."

"How long was I out?"

"Jus' fer one night. You mumble in yer sleep, by th' way. Who's Marcus?"

"How should I know?" Shuu's scowl deepened. "And no one asked you to hover by my bedside, pervert."

"Is that th' thanks I get fer savin' yer sorry ass from those bandits?"

"No one asked you to do _that_, either," Shuu snapped right back. "And if I recall correctly, it was _your_ impatience that led to my injury in the first place."

"If you'd jus' listened t'me an' stayed behind—" Koji stopped short, leaning against the window again. He rubbed hurriedly at his temples and shook his head, muttering something under his breath as if he were conversing with an unknown speaker. After a few moments he spoke again, though he wouldn't quite meet Asatenshi's gaze. "No. Yer right. It _was_ my fault, from th' start. I'm sorry about that. I really am." He glanced up again, flashing the young woman an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about snappin' at ya, too." She couldn't tell if he meant for snapping at her just then, or the other evening. Maybe both. "It's been a rough couple-a days. Guess I'm a little on edge. That ain't much of an excuse, though."

Shuu grumbled something and looked away. Koji chuckled. "Is that an 'I fergive you' that I just heard?"

"I don't forgive. _Ever_." She shrugged as if it didn't make any difference one way or the other. "Every once and a while, however, I do manage to forget. Maybe that hit on the head is altering my memory a bit."

"Thank Suzaku fer yer merciful memory, then." Koji rose shakily to his feet, unable to hide the grimace that passed across his face. Once he had turned to fully face the Asatenshi woman, Shuu noticed that his red jacket lay open in the front and his undershirt was missing. She almost snapped out a comment about his "dress code among women," but as he shoved himself to his feet she saw the heavy bandaging on the left side of his abdomen – and the blood that had stained through the wrappings. Koji must have sensed her eyes on the injury, because he chuckled and patted gingerly at his side. "Yeah, it broke open again. That's what I get fer not listenin' t'everyone's warnings, I guess."

"When did that happen?" Shuu demanded, her face tight with anxiety. He shrugged and waved a hand. The Asatenshi woman persisted. "Koji, when did you reopen that?"

"Hey, you called me Koji," he said with a chuckle. "Not 'moron' or 'stupid bandit' or even 'stubborn idiot.' I'm touched." He frowned at a series of sounds from the hallway. "Sounds like the boys're wakin' up, an' that means it's time t'get t'work. I better go..."

Shuu swung her legs off the end of her bed and snatched at the bandit's wrist, pulling him to an abrupt halt. She jerked him back half a step and snapped into his surprised face: "Damned bandit, answer my question! You reopened that when you decided to play 'hero' and slid down that cliff like an idiot to help me, didn't you?"

"Now there's th' Shuu I remember," he grumbled. Koji shrugged and tried to wriggle from her hold, but the woman's grip was strong. "Yeah, I hurt it runnin' around out there, jus' like Hikaru-san said I would. It ain't that big of a deal, Shuu-san."

"How bad is it?"

"Not that bad—"

"How _bad_, damn you!"

Koji held up his free hand as if to ward off an attack. "Why d'you care, anyway?" The only answer she offered was a stubborn glare. The bandit sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "It tore up th' whole thing, okay? Stitchin' an everythin'. Real messy, worse'n before, or so Hikaru-san said." He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. Trying to calm down Shuu's sudden anger, though he couldn't understand why she was so upset. "I got it pretty bad from yer sister an' the boys, so ya don't gotta add too many of yer own comments. I prob'ly shoulda stayed behind, I shouldn't-a strained myself, blah, blah, blah... ain't nothin' I haven't heard already."

"What did Nee-san say about it?"

"Eh? Oh, nothin' much. Jus' told me I can't be runnin' around much fer the next couple-a weeks, not that that's gonna happen, there's way too much t'get done, an' that she's gonna need to change th' bandagin' regularly fer a few days, 'till it heals better, then give it one last stitch-up." His face darkened for a moment, but the look disappeared so fast that Shuu thought she might have imagined it. Except she knew by his next sentence, and by the stab of guilt in her chest, that it was all perfectly real. "Hikaru-san said I'll probably feel this fer th' rest-a my life, an' even if I don't I'll have a limp t'remember it by." He shrugged. "Well, y'know, y'get messed up like this an' don't take care-a yerself, there'll be some long-term problems. I saw it comin' an' I didn't think too much of it. It's my own fault."

"It's your own fault," Shuu repeated, voice expressionless and head turned downwards.

"Hey, c'mon, don't look like that!" Koji laughed, and the Asatenshi woman glanced up, eyes wide with surprise. "Look, ya can be as mad as ya want at me, you usually are anyway, so I won't hold that against ya." Shuu marveled at his ability to completely miss the mark. "If you wanna call me a moron, then go ahead and get it outta yer system, I'm ready fer that treatment. But it ain't gonna change a thing, y'know. I'd do it again, a thousand times over, an' I'd laugh about it each time." He winked and grinned to hide his embarrassment. "What c'n I say? I've got a flare fer th' dramatic."

Shuu's hand tightened, just slightly, on his wrist. "You..."

Another muffled shout drifted through the young woman's door. Koji jerked his head towards the noise and sighed, his entire body sagging against the bed. "Duty calls."

"Baka. Anyone can see you're on the verge of collapsing," Shuu said. "What good will you do them if you pass out in the hallway?"

"I might be able t'do 'em some good _before_ I pass out in the hallway," he responded with a smile. "Besides, there's no rest fer th' fools, wouldn't ya say?" Koji reached back with one hand and patted Shuu on the head in a gesture that was almost affectionate. "Stop pretendin' you care an' get some rest. Y'got whacked pretty good out there, so we'll be lenient an' give ya th' day off. I'd hate t'see someone I worked _so _hard t'save kill themselves tryin' t'move around, after all, an'—"

Shuu's voice rose to a shriek. "Idiot!" She reached out and grabbed his other wrist with her free hand, jerking back and pulling him down on top of her. Koji gasped for breath as her knee came into contact with his injured side; the bandit fell limp in her hold, wheezing for air as he fought the fire racing along his abdomen. Shuu took that moment to adjust her hold on his wrist and shove herself out from under the bandit, flipping him over onto his back so his pain-stricken face stared right into hers. The Asatenshi sister straddled the bandit on the bed, her hands digging into his forearms as she glared down at him with pure loathing on her sweat-lined face.

"You just _love_ all this attention, don't you? You lap up all these so-called tongue-lashings people are giving you, because behind those cries of 'baka' are those adoring looks from your little fan squad because you did something heroic." She lifted her grip and tore the bandage away from his side. Koji tried to fight her off, but the young woman held him firmly with one hand and ripped at his stitches with the other. The bandit writhed beneath her, fighting against the icy needles lancing across his side, but Shuu went on as if she didn't hear his strangled curses. "They all think you're so _brave_ and _selfless_, but they don't know a damn thing. You only _do_ these idiotic things for the sake of the glory, to swell your fat ego. And you know goddam well that they're idiotic, but you can't stop yourself because you adore the attention!" Her fingernails dug into the wound and slashed out the last bloody stitch. Koji gasped for air, almost unconscious with pain now, but Shuu wasn't done yet. She held her free hand in front of her face, watching as a globe of emerald energy crackled in her palm, growing in size and intensity until it nearly blinded her. But she was still able to meet his frightened eyes in the bright room, and snarl out her last words. "Sometimes you're such an arrogant little prick, the most selfish _idiot_ I've ever met, and I absolutely _hate_ you for that, you know that? I absolutely fucking _hate you_!"

Shuu slammed her hand against his injury, allowing the emerald light to encompass the bleeding wound, his body, her body, the room, the universe... everything was awash in that crackling glow. Shuu wanted to look away from the pale-faced bandit below her, pure terror finally showing on that smiling mug of his, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. She had to see this through to the end. She couldn't turn away from this anymore than he could. The light in the room flashed and snapped, Koji let out a cry of torment, or perhaps she had screamed that noise, that noise like an animal having its heart rent from its chest...

And then it was all over. The magic in her palms disappeared. Koji collapsed against the bed, pale with pain and truly asleep for the first time in almost weeks. Shuu dropped her head to look at the bandit's body. One shaky hand brushed away the blood on his injury to reveal nothing but a thin, pale line of scar tissue where the deep wound had been only moments before. Her fingers fell away from his skin and came to rest on the soft comforter of her bed. Shuu's entire being trembled. Her skull beat out a thumping rhythm, almost in unison with her heaving chest. The Asatenshi sister kept her head down to fight off a wave of nausea, her sweat-drenched hair hanging limply to either side of her face.

"But it's the other times..." she said in between her gasps for air. "When you act... like this..." Something wet rolled off the end of her nose and dripped onto the bandit's cheek. But it couldn't have been a tear. Asatenshi Shuu did not know tears. "Yes. It's those other times... that I hate you the most."

---

Hikaru woke up in Tasuki's bed and had no idea how she'd gotten there. Her last clear memory had been of staggering down the hallway after healing a series of injured fighters – including her sister and the bandit co-leader – her body almost numb from the magical and physical exertion of the day. She thought she remembered stumbling, and maybe leaning against the wall to rest for a moment, just to catch her breath and realign her thoughts...

"Mornin' sunshine."

The Asatenshi sister sat up with a start, whirling to face the doorway. Tasuki stood in the frame, grinning down at the young woman. "Glad t'see yer finally up, though everyone else's goin' t'bed again. Considerin' th' shape y'were in last night, you could prob'ly do with some more sleep anyway."

"Is everyone all right? I mean, the ones I helped..."

"They're all doin' fine, though Shuu-san's been in a foul mood since breakfast an' I ain't seen Koji all day." He shrugged. "Injuries'll do both-a those to ya, though. How ya feelin'? That poison all worked outta yer system yet? Feel up fer some dinner?"

Hikaru's stomach churned at the thought. "No food, thank you. The _strength_ of that poison doesn't last long, but its aftereffects tend to hang on for a while. Magic can be like that." Tasuki nodded as if he knew what she was talking about and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "So how did I get in here?"

"Me. I saw ya asleep in th' hallway about one room down from mine. Figgered it'd be easier t'cart ya in here than t'yer own room." He leaned back against the nearby wall, making himself comfortable. "Besides, I wanted t'keep an eye on ya. Make sure ya didn't go runnin' off again, tryin' t'cure th' plague 'r somethin' t'make yerself useful."

She giggled. "I don't think I'm _that_ foolish, at least not yet anyway." She stood and stifled a yawn. "Mm, I think you're right though. Another night's rest will do me a world of good, though I suppose I'll enjoy this one in the comfort of my _own_ room."

"Well..." Tasuki shifted on his bed and tried not to look at the young woman. "Ya don't gotta go _right_ now, if ya don't want to."

Hikaru's face lit up at his roundabout invitation. "I'd be happy to keep you company. Though..." she sweatdropped as the bandit stretched out on his bed, fluffing his pillow and curling up for sleep. "It looks like you're about to pass out anyway."

"Nah, I got some talkin' left in me, an' when I'm done with that I c'n listen." He looked up at her through half-closed lids. "Girls like t'talk, right?"

"That _is_ the rumor," she agreed.

The young woman took a seat on the floor by the bandit's bed and listened attentively as he explained all that had occurred that day. None of it was particularly spectacular – the gang had eaten three enormous "victory meals" and half the bandits had been drunk by noon, but those that weren't had gone back to the battlegrounds to visit the dead. The seventeen fallen bandits had been buried the day before, but it was Reikaku custom to visit them the next day, and provide each with a final drink of sake for their passage into the next world. Once Tasuki had finished, Hikaru picked up the conversation and told a few stories from back home, many relating to wars similar to the one fought by Reikaku. Tasuki puffed up a bit at the thought of battles at Holy Shrines being similar to battles at bandit strongholds, and Hikaru had a hard time stifling her laughter.

Eventually Tasuki's eyes closed and his replies to her stories grew more and more mumbled. The Asatenshi woman fell silent. She leaned her head in against the bandit's side, and the two sat like that for a while, taking solace in the others' presence. A comfortable silence drifted over the room, sinking the bandit further towards slumber. Hikaru felt her eyelids drooping, but forced herself stay awake. She had to ignore her physical condition for the moment. There were far more important things to think about. Like that demon. The Weaver had placed a new pawn in the game, and a powerful one at that. But what was his purpose? Even she couldn't figure it out.

Not that she was trying very hard. There were other issues on her mind. Certain issues that weren't the black-and-white she was accustomed to. Certain complications that she hadn't quite foreseen.

Hikaru buried her cheek in the soft fabric of Tasuki's sheets, breathing in the sweet mix of pine and freshly burned wood that made up the scent of the seishi lying beside her. Two smells she had grown to recognize. Two smells she had grown to enjoy.

"Ne, Tasuki... do you really think I've done some good around here?"

" 'Course. Ain't I already told'ja that?"

"Even for you?"

"Especially fer me. Helpin' out around th' stronghold, or givin' me some confidence about 'Chiri... or, hell, jus' hangin' out in here like this, when I'm too worn down t'hold it back, when it all piles in an' I don't really wanna be alone." Hikaru blinked; she hadn't thought Tasuki would ever admit that, not to her or anyone else. Was he really _that_ exhausted? Or was it something else? And why did that "something else" make her breath catch in her throat for the third time that day? "I mean, you've done all sorts-a things like that. What would I do without ya, 'Karu?" the seishi yawned and rolled over, muttering into his pillow, "It's hard t'imagine not havin' ya around, now that yer here... don't really wanna imagine it, t'be honest... hah, never thought I'd say that to a woman... 's kinda funny, ain't it, how it happened like that?"

She ran a hand through his flame-red hair, a sad smile tracing her features. "Yes. I suppose it is."

---

Silver light brushed across Reikaku's landscape, painting even the battered ground of the former battlefield in a blanket of soft, muted color. The nearby trees shifted in the tiniest of breezes, rustling their leaves together in the quiet song of the night. An owl hooted from a nearby tree, disrupted from its perch by the snapping of twigs on the ground below. The night bird took off, though it almost seemed to glare at the intruder for a brief moment before disappearing across the river and into the twilight. Hikaru glanced up at the bird but didn't seem to truly see it. Her attention was on her sister, who sat with her back to the battlefield and her face to the river, on the big rock where Hikaru had killed a bandit the day before.

Shuu sensed the other's presence. "Did you get him?"

Hikaru's eyes widened. "_Him_?"

"That demon scum you were after."

"Oh," Hikaru relaxed, though she couldn't stop the distaste from showing in her voice. "No. That _thing _got away, and a grand lot of knowledge I gained from following it."

"Another web in the Weaver's ever-thickening pattern."

"I suppose you knew about it?"

"Did _you_?" Shuu countered. Hikaru shook her head, and her sister went on. "There is a lot that neither of us knows, I think. But I assumed, and I'm certain that you did, too. We've both been around long enough, played this game long enough, to know that the Weaver never puts all his cards on the table. Not even the gods or the Mother can guess at his thoughts, when he truly gets to work. No doubt he's woven the Akutsuki into his plans – no doubt he wove them in long ago, before Reikaku ever heard of this rival gang." She stood, her emerald eyes staring hard across the river, as if she meant to pierce the darkness with her gaze alone. "What those plans are, and how he intends to put them into motion... if they involve demons, I'm not even sure I want to know."

"Something is happening," Hikaru said suddenly, tiredly. "Something I don't like. What _is_ it, Nee-san?"

Shuu cocked her head over one shoulder, flashing a crooked smile at her sister. "I imagine that it is something very foolish. Something our mother would have warned us about when we were alive – assuming we _were_ alive once, and assuming we had a mother to tell us such things."

"Do you understand it?"

"It's not my place to say one way or the other. Nor is it yours. You know that, Nee-san."

"No. We do not talk of such things, do we?" Hikaru walked silently across the open beach – she had never thought of it that way before, but the ground was soft enough that it almost passed as one – until she stood next to her sister at the edge of the shore, watching the far coast with an intensity and confusion she hadn't felt in ages. "There are many such things that we do not speak about anymore, Nee-san."

Almost simultaneously the two young women collapsed wearily to the ground, leaning back to back and using the other for support. Hikaru's right hand clasped at Shuu's left, and Shuu's right did the same to Hikaru's left, until the two sisters were connected as tightly as they could be, in such a way that neither had felt in centuries. Yet they were still miles away from each other, and both knew it, and while they supported one another they guarded themselves, always wary of the other's thoughts and plans. Never quite knowing where to step, even in this darkness where all they _could_ trust was the other's presence. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Years. Eons. Then, echoing faintly across the water:

"You could quit."

"Never," Asatenshi snapped. "I am a loyal servant of Genbu-sama, now and forever. I will not have something as precious as my purpose in this world destroyed by weak-willed humans. That is all they are, and all they will ever be to me. I am stronger than that – and I am stronger than you."

"If that is what you want to believe, then I won't try to change your mind."

"That _is_ what I believe, and what I shall always believe. All mortal creatures are pathetic in their weaknesses, and so easily exploited when you find their wounds. I shall never feel sympathy for something that cannot fight its own darkness. And I will do everything in my power to defeat you. I will see my Master's wishes fulfilled." Her voice was full of conviction and belief, but in the same breath she whispered, "Please promise me something, Nee-san."

"Mm?"

"Promise me that you will do everything in _your_ power to defeat me. Promise me that you will do everything you possibly can to tear apart each and every thread in the Weaver's pattern."

"Is this a trick?"

"Perhaps it may have been, at one time. But now... well, what do you think?"

Another millennium passed between them. Finally, firmly, "I promise you, Nee-san. On my life and honor as one of the Chosen, I promise that I will not rest until every last one of his webs is ripped to shreds."

The other Asatenshi allowed a tiny smile to appear on her exhausted face. "I knew you would. The two of us, now... we have one thing in common, don't we?"

"Mother would have warned us, indeed."

---  
---

**Author's Mundane Ramblings: October 23, 2005; 7:43 PM**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Sorry for the extreme lateness of this update, though I get the feeling I'll be saying that a lot now that school has started. I purposely held off editing this for a while because I knew I wouldn't be getting a lot of _new_ chapters written... but then I got even busier than I expected, and the short delay turned into a gi-normous one. A million apologies to all of you. _(Bows profusely)_

**Random Chapter Comments **While I don't mean to toot my own horn... I'm about to. I _loved_ this chapter. I loved writing it, I loved reading it, I loved editing it... there was nothing about this that I didn't love. Even its length didn't bother me (much). I'm terribly proud of it, too, and I don't mind admitting that right now. The Asatenshi sisters have grown so far past what I originally had planned for them, and this verse is the pinnacle of their surprising character development. I just hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. :)  
Oh! And here's a fun little fact: this chapter marks the very first time in "Rhapsody" that Tasuki has actually used the "Rekka Shin'en" spell. I just thought that was kinda exciting.

**Reviews **Hm... there weren't really any questions to answer this time, though I would like to welcome Fallen Angel Akane-san to the group! I know you're only on the early chapters right now, but I hope you'll stick around and get up to this "welcome aboard" message soon! Though, considering how slowly RFS moves, you may have already reached this Verse... _(sweatdrop)_

**Quote of the Moment: **_"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."_

**Verse Preview? **Remember when I said "the shiznit hits the fizan" back in the First Movement? Yeah, here we go again. _(wince) _Oh, and just to let you know, there won't be an author's note at the end of the next verse. I think it would destroy the impact of the chapter, so I'll chat with you again during the "Interlude" that follows Verse Nine. Enjoy, and I'll see you again in a few months!

Your Oh-So-Busy (But Still Dedicated!) Authoress – Dee ;)


	28. Verse Nine: Kiss in the Dark

**_Author's Preemptive Ramblings: January 22, 2006; 8:43 PM_**

Happy New Year, minna-san!

There won't be a Free-Chat at the end of this Verse because of the, um... emotional content, so I figured I'd pop in real quick at the beginning to do the usual: Apologize profusely for a _very_ late chapter. Suffice to say AP English is the devil, college scholarships are the devil's best friend, I'm currently juggling numerous fanfics, oh and by the way I'm in Creative Writing II so all my "writing time" has to be used on "real" writing, like short stories and bad poems and the like. So expect the next chapter in March or April, because I'm a terrible human being, and hopefully I'll be able to speed everything up during the summer again. That's my only time to write, if you haven't noticed. Still, just because I'm a terrible human being doesn't mean I'm downright mean, so here's a list of 7 things to read and see over the next few cold, wintry months!

**1)****MOVIE:** _Hoodwinked _– Computerized fairytale comedy at its finest. Available at a movie theatre near you.  
**2)****ANIME:** _The Twelve Kingdoms _– Often described as, "the badass version of Fushigi Yuugi," it is one of the best anime I have ever seen. And now that AnimeWorks has released it into two happy li'l boxsets, the price ain't too shabby either! Available at a Suncoast near you.  
**3)** **MANGA**: _Fushigi Yuugi Volume 17 _– The volume that literally Has It All. Tasuki + Miaka. Chichiri + Hikou. Chichiri + Tasuki + Hotohori + a hot springs – clothing ( yum!). This manga is so utterly Deelightful, my Fushigi-lovin' heart almost had a seizure. Available at a Waldenbooks/Borders near you.  
**4)** **NOVELS**: _His Dark Materials _Trilogy, by Phillip Pullman – Quite possibly my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series of all time. _And_ they're turning them into movies soon! Could it really get any better? Available at a Waldenbooks/Borders near you.  
**5)****MUSICAL/PLAY**: _Les Miserables _– I can't even tell you how in love I am with this. It's just... you know what? Get online and find out if it's playing at a stage anywhere nearby, and then go see it. Seriously. Right now. If it's nowhere nearby, then buy the soundtrack. It's not quite the same, but it's still pretty damn fantastic.  
**6)** **FANFICTION**: _Roku Kyu's C-2 Community _– This thing was designed specifically for people like me who crave good FY fanfiction but are too damn lazy to go out and search for it themselves. Once again Roku-senpai earns a tip of my hat. Available on a computer near you.  
**7)** **TV**: _"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" & "The Colbert Report" _– A giggle-worthy one-two punch of comedy, with some actual news thrown in for good measure! Currently airing on Comedy Central, 11:00-12:00pm in the Eastern Time Zone.

I hope that will help save you from the cold, and perhaps appease your anger for my severe lack of updates. Love and peace to you all, and I'll be back around the time that the bears start coming out of hibernation. Thank you all so much for your patience!

Your Authoress—Dee

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Verse Nine: Kiss in the Dark**_

"_I find you in my fears  
And in my fascination  
I taste you in safe water and it drowns me.  
Paranoid and peaceful  
Inside a sweet addiction  
Velvety electrical reaction."  
--Ilaria Graziano; "Velveteen"—_

"Ne, Koji-sama, are you feeling all right?"

The bandit co-leader glanced up into Genji's curious gaze. He looked down again and shrugged. One hand fingered the thin scar tissue lining his left side, which had only days before been wounded almost beyond repair. "Nothin' t'worry about, Genji-kun."

"That isn't what I asked, te kanjii. You're feeling okay, aren't you? I mean, Shuu-san healed you completely, right?"

Koji shivered at the memory. "She did somethin', all right..."

"You two have been avoiding each other ever since the battle. Is that what's bothering you?"

He nodded, hoping that would get Genji to leave him alone. Shuu _had_ healed him, though at the time he'd thought she was killing him – he couldn't remember ever being so terrified or helpless, even when he'd watched his parents die from that plague – and the fact that she'd done such a thing while cursing his existence _did _tug at the back of his mind, but that wasn't what kept him so preoccupied. In a few minutes he was scheduled to meet with Tasuki, and "discuss the recent battle." Tasuki and Koji had barely seen one another over the past few days – it seemed as if both were needed everywhere at once – so when Koji suggested the meeting Tasuki immediately agreed. But then again, why wouldn't he? He had no idea what his friend intended to say, or intended to unleash on him...

_You've every right to be upset,_ Doro reminded him. _He deserted his men and left no one in charge. If not for Genji, the entire stronghold could have been overwhelmed._

Koji didn't plan to yell at his partner. He planned to explain the situation calmly but firmly, like the older brother Hakurou had wanted him to play, and tell Tasuki with as little blame-placing as possible that if he ever did something like that again, Koji would skin him alive – though he would say it in a joking manner, of course. Tasuki would certainly understand and feel guilty, but take no offense, and everything would be fine.

So why was it that, when Koji thought about what he would say, he found himself getting angrier and angrier, until Doro always brought in that one treacherous little thought—

_He isn't even fit to be called "Leader."_

"G... gomen." Koji's head shot up at the sound of Genji's distressed voice. The youth had his face turned downwards and his hands clenched in his lap; Koji raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything Genji looked up and cried, "I'm so sorry, Koji-sama! I know I hadn't been put in charge and I didn't have any right to suddenly start calling battle plans, whenever Gen-sama leaves _everyone_ knows you're the next in charge, but everyone looked so confused and you were so far away and I didn't think we had any other options, and I know it wasn't a very _good_ plan but it was all I could think of at the time, and the men all said I did a great job but I know it still wasn't right of me, acting like I had power, and I'm so, so sorry about it, te kan..." The youth trailed off as he realized that Koji had his head in his hands and shook with almost uncontrollable laughter. "...jii...?"

"Genji-kun, that mighta been th' funniest thing I've heard in months," the co-leader said once his laughter had subsided a bit. He wiped a tear from his eye and stood, clapping Genji on the shoulder. "An' _I_ oughta be th' one apologizin'. I've been so busy runnin' around, makin' sure everything's good t'go, that I completely fergot t'congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?" he stared at Koji with wide violet eyes. "So, so you aren't upset about that?"

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" he demanded. "You saved our asses out there, Genji-kun. I couldn't be prouder of ya."

Genji's lip quivered. "Koji-sama..." he leapt forward and into the co-leader's arms, practically smothering him in a hug. "I'm so happy, te kanjii!"

"I'm... glad for that..." Koji muttered into the youth's shirt. Several seconds passed. Koji sweatdropped. "Oi, Genji-kun, d'you mind...?"

The young bandit blushed to his ear tips and quickly released his mentor. He giggled nervously and looked away. "G... gomen." He cocked his head, remembering his earlier question. "But Koji-sama, if you aren't upset with me, then what _is_ the problem?"

The co-leader drummed his fingers against his thigh, frowning hard at the youth. How was he supposed to get Genji to leave him alone about this?

_Why not just tell him the truth?_ Doro asked.

Koji wondered if Doro was insane, but listened as attentively as always to his newest and closest friend.

_That boy has a streak of honesty that makes him the most trustworthy person in the stronghold. _Koji had never thought about that before, but now that Doro said it he knew it was the absolute truth. _If you can rely on anyone's opinion, if you can be certain that anyone will tell you the truth, and not just what you want to hear, then that "anyone" is Genji._

Of course, Koji agreed, a tiny spark in his eyes. Genji could never lie. Genji would let him know if his anger towards Tasuki was justified, and if maybe, just maybe...

_Tell him everything, and ask his opinion, and see the truth for once._

Not the whole story, the co-leader argued. He couldn't possibly tell Genji everything. Still...

"Two friends leave home t'start their lives," Koji began, quoting a story that one bitter Asatenshi sister had told him so long ago. "One of th' young men goes out an' gets a job workin' the fields. He busts his ass, lives a hard, honest life, and gains a lotta scars for his work. But even after years he's still barely got a cent t'his name. He's poor, uncared for, and completely alone.

"The second guy leaves, and immediately goes inta a restaurant t'have a drink. He gets drunk and blows all his money. As th' place is closin' up, he gets angry at th' bartender an' throws his last bottle over his shoulder in a rage. The bottle hits th' head of a man who was harassin' a young woman. It knocks the man out and saves th' woman. The woman happens t'be th' daughter of a government official, and is so grateful that she marries the man an' th' two live in luxury fer the rest of their lives." He glanced up at the youth. "Why did th' second man wind up better off'n the first?"

"I'm not sure," Genji said after a slight pause. He shifted in his seat. "But I don't think I like that story, te kanjii. It doesn't seem fair to that first man at all."

"Yeah," Koji agreed quietly. "It ain't, is it?"

"But what does that have to do with anything, te kanjii?"

_He will follow you anywhere. And he could be very useful..._

No, Koji said, with more firmness than he'd ever felt towards that tiny voice in the back of his head. The co-leader stood again, smiling down at his younger friend and ruffling his hair affectionately. "Yer a good kid, Genji-kun. An' trust me, this ain't the kinda mess a good kid like you wants t'get involved in. So don't worry about, okay? Go make dinner, 'r win some money off th' guys in an archery contest. I'll talk to ya later."

The co-leader headed for the door, but Genji's voice stopped him at the threshold. "If something's bothering you, Koji-sama, I want to help you fix it. You know that, don't you, te kanjii?"

He glanced over his shoulder and met the face of the passionate boy ready to do whatever he could to help his beloved stronghold and its leaders, and for the briefest of moments he felt like he was looking straight into a mirror from the past. And for the first time he understood what Hakurou must have seen when he looked down at that young, ardent little orphan who'd demanded to become a Reikaku bandit, and the sort of guilt he must have felt as that same orphan, barely nineteen years old, lost his childhood forever when he watched the life of his mentor wither away.

_He will follow you anywhere_, Doro repeated.

Yeah, Koji agreed. But he should never have to.

"I know ya would, Genji-kun," he answered with another smile. "But the places I been lately, I'd never want ya t'go."

He closed the door and left.

---

Pure habit had Koji saying, "Knock knock! Who's there? It's Koji, ready t'see Genrou fer th' first time in about three days. Ah, well, Koji, come right in, I missed ya too," before he remembered that this wasn't a typical visit between friends. Could he even _call_ them friends, now? He shook his head. That was ridiculous. Thinking that kind of thing just because he had to scold Tasuki a little. Of course they were still friends. Of course!

_And yet..._

Tasuki opened the doors, cocking an eyebrow at Koji and flashing a confused grin. "You doze off out here 'r somethin'? Ya never waited fer me t'answer th' door b'fore."

Koji shrugged and forced a chuckle. He followed his friend back into the room, stepping gingerly around the comatose monk before taking a seat on Tasuki's bed. The seishi followed suit, his worried eyes glancing over at Chichiri for a split second before turning back to the co-leader. "So, it's good t'see ya. That wound-a yers doin' all right? Hikaru told me Shuu-san pulled some kinda big magic t'fix it all up. Pretty nice-a that br – ah, of her, I guess. I meant t'come check up on ya, but..."

"We been busy. I heard ya got cut up a little, too."

"What, this?" the seishi pulled down his collar to reveal a light bandage across his shoulder and chest. "A scratch. Hikaru's jus' decided t'act like she's everybody's mother, so she's makin' even th' little injuries get this kinda attention."

_Strange how he managed to bring her up twice in such a short time, don't you think?_

"Anyway," Tasuki went on, "I'm glad ya decided t'schedule this little meetin', if ya wanna call it that. We need t'talk about what we're gonna do about th' Akutsuki." He tilted his head in Koji's direction and grinned. "An' once we get done with that borin' talk, we c'n crack open a bottle-a sake an' relax fer once. I bet even a grumpy old hen like you c'n agree that those Akutsuki're beat up enough that we c'n get away with at least one night-a that."

Koji steeled his courage and his temper. "Listen, Genrou, about that last fight..."

He frowned. "Straight t'business, huh? Fine, fine. Well, we went back after that last battle – you were passed out in yer room, not that I blame ya – and did a rough estimate-a th' losses. Seventeen of our boys're gone fer good, I hate t'tell ya, but the good news is that only a few of 'em died t'actual injuries. Th' other's were victims-a that damn sorcerer."

"Speakin' of that sorcerer..."

"I know, we still gotta worry about him, 'cause he managed t'get away. I don't think he should be too much of a problem, though, so long's Hikaru 'n' Shuu-san 'r around, an' I c'n handle him too if it comes down t'that."

"Yeah, but that battle—"

"I did another count-up an' the Akutsuki lost over twice th' number-a men we did. Hell, I'd say they barely had ten-a their forty escape, an' most-a those were lickin' wounds from what th' boys tell me. 'Course, we don't know how many they had in th' first place, but that's still a pretty solid victory fer Reikaku. I'd say things're looking up fer us fer th' first time in a while, doncha think Koji?" Tasuki noticed a tiny anger vein pulsing on his friend's head. He blinked. "Somethin' wrong?"

"That depends. You finished yet, 'r should I wait fer ya t'interrupt me again?"

"Oh... heh," Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head, a little surprised by Koji's tense tone. "Sorry 'bout that. We been workin' t'gether so long I jus' figured I'd know what ya were gonna ask. So what's th' problem? Did I miss somethin'?"

"No, ya covered all th' basics," Koji agreed, rubbing at his temples. "But that ain't the reason I wanted t'meet with ya, at least not the full reason." He glanced up at his friend, and somehow managed to look stern without showing the anger he felt building up inside of him. "I wanted t'talk to ya about what ya did durin' that battle."

"What I did? What'd I do?"

"You ran off without tellin' anyone, idiot!" the co-leader bellowed, sending a chibi Tasuki tumbling off the edge of the bed.

Tasuki scrambled back onto his perch, once again cocking an eyebrow at Koji and once again grinning in that perplexed way, as if he couldn't quite figure out what his friend was getting at. "That's all?"

"'That's all'?" Koji lost it and popped his partner over the head. "You left everyone in th' middle of th' battle – an' after a sorcerer's attack, no less – an' didn't tell _anyone_ what was goin' on, 'r where ya were goin', 'r even if you were comin' back! Half th' men thought you'd been killed in that crater blast, didja know that?"

His final sentence struck home, and the seishi frowned. "I didn't mean t'make everyone worry," he said quietly, looking down at the floor like a child who'd been caught stealing candy. "But I didn't have much of a choice. Hikaru was chasin' after that thing—"

"That's no excuse!" Koji snapped. "You know damn well Hikaru-san c'n take care of herself, 'specially against some two-bit sorcerer."

"He wasn't jus' a sorcerer, Koji!" Tasuki snapped right back, meeting Koji's eyes with such protective ferocity that the co-leader scooted back on the bed a bit. "He was... some kinda demon. An' she was goin' after him _alone_! I couldn't let her do somethin' that stupid, I couldn't let her risk gettin' hurt like that..." Koji's eyes softened at his friend's words, and he opened his mouth to say something reassuring, but Tasuki ruined any chance of reconciliation. He stared at the co-leader defiantly and said, "An' anyway, you don't have room t'talk. You did th' same thing fer Shuu-san."

_And he has the nerve to call himself "leader?"_

Koji said nothing for a few seconds, but not for lack of wanting. He just couldn't find any words coherent enough to explain his indignation at the idea that he and Tasuki had done anything _remotely_ similar, that day of the battle. "Shuu-san," he finally managed to grate out, "was five seconds away from bein' killed in th' middle-a that battlefield, an' that was about t'happen 'cause she tripped on th' dress that _I_ hadn't let her change out of. That was scummy of me, an' I don't mind admittin' that." I can admit my mistakes, unlike some, he thought bitterly. "But at least I had th' decency t'tell my men what was goin' on, an' at least I was responsible enough t'put someone else in charge b'fore I just ran off into th' forest, completely desertin' my people to th' enemy—"

"Well maybe if ya had a little more confidence in everyone's abilities ya wouldn't think of it like that," Tasuki retorted. "Th' boys did a damn fine job without me. I knew they would. I never worry about 'em when they're all t'gether. An' you shouldn't worry about 'em, either. Genji-kun handled th' situation fine."

"A second longer and they would've all—"

"A second longer an' the world might've ended," Tasuki interrupted. "Why're you worryin' about what 'might' have happened? Everythin' worked out fine."

"That ain't the point! Yer th' leader around here, and you gotta make decisions that affect the entire gang, don't you understand that?" Koji cried, his fists clenched so tight he thought he might break his own knuckles. "Everythin' you do, every little decision you make... everyone in this stronghold depends on those decisions. You gotta be _damn_ certain they're th' right ones! You gotta do things fer everyone, you gotta look out _fer everyone_... an' if you can't even do that, then what right d'you have t'lead 'em at all? What right do any of 'em have t'call you 'leader,' if ya can't even keep 'em safe?"

_Harsh_, Doro remarked, _but justified. And well put, I might add._

Tasuki's eyes clouded over, but Koji stared back without remorse. He couldn't possibly back down, not now or ever again. He wouldn't let Tasuki get away with hurting the stronghold anymore.

A lifetime later, the seishi bandit looked away and said, "Yer right. I screwed up. I don't think about stuff like that when I'm in battle, you know that. I jus'... _do_. Yer th' strategist, Koji. Always have been." He tried a chuckle that fell just short. "Guess that's why Hakurou asked ya t'keep an eye on me, huh? I bet he knew I'd screw up, an' he knew ya'd be there t'kick me in th' ass an' help me fix it. That's why we make such a great team, right Koji? So we c'n both kick each other in th' ass an' make sure th' right decisions get made fer Reikaku."

_So what part of the team is _he_, I wonder?_

"Anyway, sorry fer snappin' at ya," Tasuki continued. "But y'understand where I'm comin' from, right? I couldn't jus' let Hikaru get killed by that demon, same's you couldn't let Shuu-san die so easily. We gotta look out fer th' girls, jus' like we gotta look out fer our own boys, too. But still, I... I shoulda told someone. Yer right about that. I won't make that mistake again, okay?"

_Why does he need your approval? Isn't _he_ the leader?_

"Why d'you need my approval? Ain't _you_ the leader?" Koji demanded. He could feel Doro's contempt building and merging with his own anger until the two were almost indistinguishable. And with Doro's thoughts came an entirely new array of emotions; darker, less justified ones that Koji could feel tugging at the back of his mind. Emotions that didn't care about friendships or forgiveness or even about diplomacy. Because why did an insect like Tasuki deserve diplomacy, anyway...?

"Well, sure," Tasuki agreed with a shrug. "But we run things t'gether, so I wanna make sure everything's okay between us. C'mon, you know that by now, Koji." He grinned and punched his friend playfully in the arm. "Where would I be without ya, huh?"

"Long dead," Koji remarked, though his comment was anything but friendly. Because in the back of his mind, Doro whispered:

_But where would _you_ be without _him

The co-leader hadn't thought about that before, and the sudden possibilities caused an already straining thread within him to snap. "Y'know," he said, staring down at the sheets with a tiny, sarcastic smile on his lips, "sometimes I wonder what th' hell made Hakurou choose you as th' leader."

Tasuki's amber eyes widened. There was something dangerous in Koji's posture, something frightening in his voice. He wasn't just teasing Tasuki, like he used to do all the time. This time was different. This time, it almost felt like he meant it.

Koji stood, shaking his head sadly as he moved to the door. "Mm, if he was here right now – Hakurou, I mean – he might ask himself th' same question."

A wall fell down between the two companions, and Tasuki felt his hands start to tremble against the bed sheets. "Oi, Koji..." he called across the room, desperate to keep his voice from shaking, "yer... yer jus' kiddin' right?"

"Nope," the co-leader said. He glanced over at Tasuki with the purest light of contempt shining from his eyes. His mouth curled upwards into a sarcastic little smile, reveling in the seishi's helpless misery, and before he could stop himself he muttered Doro's next bitter words. "As a matter of fact, I bet Hakurou'd be pretty ashamed of you, right now."

He closed the door and left.

---

Tasuki collapsed to the floor, grabbing at his arms, clutching at the sheets, reaching tentatively towards Chichiri before snatching his hands back to rub again at his arms, and all the while fighting those words, those terrible words that he'd always known but never, _ever_ dared to think, that he never thought he'd have to worry about, that he always feared he'd have worry about.

_Hakurou would be ashamed of you. Ashamed of you. Ashamed of YOU._

"I know," the bandit whispered, "I know he would, I know it, I _know_ it! But I never thought Koji'd realize it too, I never thought he'd figure that out, an' even if he did I didn't think he'd hold it against me, I thought... I thought fer sure that out of everyone, out of _everyone_... that Koji wouldn't... that he _couldn't_..."

But he had. And he did.

The seishi struggled to find his breath. Why was the room so hot? Why was the room so damned tiny? Why was the room so lonely, so unbearably quiet and still and empty? Chichiri's gentle breathing echoed against the walls, a bitter reminder of these final ripping threads, of these last anchors that he'd struggled so hard to keep grasping, no matter what. But they were gone now. With Koji, with that last one...

He had to get out of here.

He had to find Hikaru.

He pounded down the hallway and into the main room of the stronghold, searching about frantically for the young Asatenshi woman. She was all he had, now. He had to see her. He _had_ to talk to her, had to have her help him fix everything before it was too late, before Koji really did hate him and he really was left alone, before this horrible thumping in his chest grew too loud, before those words drowned out everything else.

_Hakurou would be ashamed of you._

_Ashamed of you._

_Ashamed of—_

"Woah, you look like shit."

Tasuki whirled to find Shuu sitting back in a chair by one of Reikaku's large windows. She held a scroll in one hand and a long calligraphy brush in the other, but the bandit barely noticed that. He fought _those_ _words_ back and asked, "Have you seen yer sister?"

Shuu pointed towards the main doors with her brush. "Fetching water for dinner, or she was the last time I saw her." The young woman cocked an eyebrow at the seishi. "What the hell happened to you, anyway?"

He didn't even look at her, and barely remembered to mutter a "thanks" before turning on his heel and marching out the front doors of Reikaku, on a beeline for the nearby stream.

---

Koji looked up at his ceiling and felt like the biggest scumbag on the planet. What the hell had possessed him to say those horrible things to his friend? Sure, there might be some truth in them, and he might even think them from time to time, in moments of anger like earlier. But to actually say that to Tasuki... to actually say that to his closest friend, the person he'd known since childhood, the only person he really trusted...

_Can you trust him, really?_

"Of course I can," Koji argued back. He swatted at a fly buzzing near his face; spring would be here soon, it seemed. "Genrou might be an idiot, an' he might be completely helpless without me, but he ain't a _bad _guy. He's the most loyal person I know, an' reliable when he really needs t'be. Like how he went after Hikaru-san. He wanted t'protect her, same's he wants t'protect everyone else. He doesn't think things through, but it's not like he does that on purpose."

_You truly believe that's why he went after Hikaru? For simple reasons of loyalty?_

"That's what he said," the co-leader agreed obstinately. Doro might have a tight grip on him, tighter than even he realized, but he wasn't about to talk Koji into something like _that_.

_Is that what he _actually _said?_

"Would you give it up already?" Koji sat up, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. "Genrou ain't manipulative like ya seem t'think, an' he'd never toy with me. He doesn't have the brains fer that. I already agreed that I'd make a better leader; can't ya leave it at that?"

_Just agreeing won't change anything. You have to act on those decisions to make them worthwhile._

"Yeah, I'll jus' waltz right up t'him an' say 'Oh Genrou, by th' way, I'm th' official leader now, an' you c'n be th' sidekick.' Yeah, that'll work real well."

_Why does he have to be the sidekick at all...?_

"Dammit Doro-kun, I told ya t'give that up!" the co-leader swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood, clenching his fists resolutely at his sides. "Rivals 'r not, Genrou's still my friend. I know he is."

_Are you trying to convince me of that, or yourself?_

"I'll prove it to ya," Koji snapped. "I'm gonna go find him an' apologize right now, y'got that? What I did b'fore was jus' sick. You know how much Genrou depends on me. I can't let him think that I hate him. So, I'm gonna go fix all that. I'm gonna get things back t'the way they were between us, an' we'll find a way t'get Hikaru that doesn't involve all this stab-in-th'-back bullshit that yer so eager t'pull." He jerked open his door and started down the hallway for Tasuki's room. "Jus' you watch, Doro-kun."

But when he reached the chamber he found a half-open door and a sleeping monk, but no sign of Tasuki. Koji backtracked until he entered Reikaku's main room, glancing about for his companion. Instead he found a scattering of bandits playing dice and Shuu inspecting him over the edge of a scroll. Koji met her eyes somewhat timidly and spoke to her for the first time in almost three days. "Oi, have you seen Genrou?"

"This is a fun game," she remarked with a dark chuckle, then pointed towards the front doors. "That way, towards the stream. Have a good time."

"Uh, thanks." Koji hesitated for a moment, torn between his need to find Tasuki and his desire to ask Shuu about that strange evening when she'd saved and damned him at the same time. Fear of the young woman and that accusing emerald gaze made the decision for him. "See ya later, Shuu-san."

Shuu watched him exit the room, then went right back to her work, sweeping thick black lines across what would become the shirt of the young man in her latest painting. "It seems like things are about to spiral, Nee-san," she muttered into the paper. "Please don't disappoint me in your actions. You're the only true wild card in this game, you know."

---

It only took Tasuki a few minutes to find Hikaru, but the thumping in his chest and the echo of those words made it seem like a terrified eternity. Just when he thought he'd collapse for sure, that he'd finally lose his grip and fall into that dark void under his dangling feet, the forest gave way and he stepped out into a tiny clearing leading down to the stream. And there, crouching at the edge and wiping a line of sweat from her brow, sat Hikaru.

The young woman leaned over the stream, ducking her head down towards the water and cupping it between her hands. She splashed the liquid across her face, gasping a little at the sweet chill before running her hands across her cheeks and back into her hair. She wiped a line of sweat off her brow, sighed happily and stood, rolling her tired shoulders and preparing for the march back. As she turned to pick up the bucket of water at her side, the young woman's gaze fell on the trembling bandit at the edge of the clearing.

Their eyes met and locked, and a rush of terrified emotion passed through that gaze. The shocked Asatenshi woman took a step back and nearly fell in the water. Tasuki just stood there, breathing like he'd run a mile, his shoulders jerking back and forth as if he were fighting a waterfall of panic. He'd never looked so terribly alone. She fought to find her voice, took a step forward, stumbled over another few words, and finally managed to say, "Tasuki?"

"Hikaru," he gasped back, and then they were both moving across the clearing, and Hikaru's arms were wrapping around his waist, and the next thing Tasuki knew he was crying brokenly in her arms and they were both sliding to the ground, her hands stroking his back and his frightened ones stumbling to hold onto everything at once, as if he couldn't stand to lose a single part of her reassuring presence.

"Oh gods, Tasuki," she whispered once his shaking sobs had abated, "who _did_ this to you?"

"Koji knows," he said, pulling away from the young woman and turning his eyes to the ground. He had no right to be here. He shouldn't rely on her help. He knew that. He knew all of that. But he couldn't bring himself to push away her kindness, couldn't bring himself to untangle his hands from her comforting grasp. Weak as he was, stupid as he was, he couldn't turn away from the only person who hadn't abandoned him yet. "He... he knows about me. About everythin'. About how pathetic I am, how useless an' helpless an' stupid, stupid, _stupid_ that I am. He hates me fer it, Hikaru. He's left me. Jus' like everyone else, he's left me..."

"He couldn't," she told him, bringing up a hand to push away his tangled bangs. "It has to be some sort of misunderstanding. Koji-san has been acting... strangely, recently, but he would never abandon you. Koji-san loves you. I'm certain of that."

Tasuki's head jerked back and forth. "Yer wrong! You didn't see it, you didn't see the way he looked at me, like he wanted t'spit on me right then an' there. Like he never wanted t'see me again. Like... like I was some kinda disgustin' bug." He chuckled weakly, slumping further in her arms. "Not that I blame him. I'd hate me, too, if I knew the kinda things he knows. If I'd figgered it all out... if I'd looked past my little front an' found the sick, selfish bastard that I really am..."

No! a tiny part of him cried. No, no, no! Don't think about. Don't think about _any_ of it! Hikaru was right. Hikaru _had_ to be right. It was a misunderstanding, and Koji hadn't left him at all. He had to move forward. He had to keep living. Had to – had to – had to—!

"People _should_ hate me. They always do, in th' end. That's why they leave."

"I don't hate you, Tasuki," Hikaru said quietly. The bandit jerked his head up to meet her intense emerald gaze. He'd never seen such a look from a woman – at least, never directed at _him_. But there was something familiar in it, he thought. Something from long ago. "I'll never hate you. No matter who you are, no matter how weak or useless you seem to think you are... well, I don't believe the half of it, but even if it were true I still wouldn't hate you. And I'll never leave you, do you understand that? If you can believe anything – if everything in this world is a lie, then at least _that_ is a truth. If you want me with you, then I will always _be _with you, okay? So please don't worry so much. I can't stand it."

"How c'n you say that?" he demanded, voice cracking on the words. "I mean... it's gotta be a lie, right? _I_ don't even wanna be with me, so how c'd you..."

"It's easy to say," she assured him with a tiny smile. "Though perhaps not so easy to explain. But it's like I told you before: I want to be there for you. I want to help you trust yourself again. Because, for the first time in my life, I've found someone that _I_ can have faith in. And I want you to feel the same way about yourself – I want you to see what I can see beneath all those doubts and fears... and I want there to be someone in your life that you can believe in, as well."

"I believe in you." He had never even thought those words before, but as soon as he said it everything clicked into place. Tasuki leaned forward a little, trying to find that feeling from before, that brief moment of comfort he felt when he was in the young woman's presence, in the presence of the only person who could bear to hold his hand while he dangled from that terrible cliff.

The Asatenshi sister moved forward at the same time, the kindness in her eyes suddenly switching to something else, something deeper and beyond the bandit's immediate comprehension. "T…Tasuki…?" she asked quietly.

There was so little space between them, he realized suddenly. He could so easily reach out and grasp her and drown in that bliss. And she would allow it, too, he knew, because she made no effort to hide her love for him. She believed in him, wanted to protect him, wanted to comfort him, wanted to love him...

The bandit's arms flew to her waist, her hands fluttered to his neck, their lips touched once, tentatively, then twice, confidently, and before either was aware of the other's actions they had plunged into that sweet abyss.

---

Koji followed the tiny trail leading to the stream – though it was becoming harder and harder to see in the gathering evening light – and hoped that he'd catch Tasuki before he moved somewhere else. No doubt his words from earlier had shaken the bandit badly, and he had wanted to be alone to think about them – or maybe to try and forget about them. Koji felt a tiny blush of shame creep across his cheeks at the thought, but he did his best to brush it away. _Everyone_ said stupid things once in a while. And anyway, he was about to make up for it, so it didn't matter anymore. He had no reason to feel so guilty about it. Still, he'd rest a lot easier once he'd made his peace with Tasuki and proven to Doro – and to himself – that his relationship with Tasuki was not strained beyond repair. He'd show him that he could win Hikaru _without_ turning on his closest friend. The co-leader quickened his pace.

"That's right, Doro-kun," he murmured, a tiny, hopeful smile lighting his features for the first time in a long while. "You'll help me get what I want all right, but we're gonna to do it my way. I'll show you that I c'n win against any so-called 'competition,' an' _without_ usin' dirty methods. I'll show you that Genrou 'n' I ain't even competin' in th' first place. I'll show you a lotta things, an' then I'll get Hikaru, somehow, jus'..."

And that was when the trees thinned, and he saw them.

_Thump_.

Impossible...

_Thump._

Her hands gripping his back, her soft breasts pressed against his body, the two fabrics mingling as one.

_Thump_.

His arms clenching her to his chest, his mouth pushed against hers so tightly there was almost no distinction between the two, no way of telling where one ended and the other began, pushed together as if they wanted to dive into one another, down and down, forever and ever, and never return from their private paradise.

_Thump_.

His mouth broke apart from hers for the tiniest of seconds before plunging back in—

–_Thump—_

And then Koji's feet staggered backwards, and he tripped over a bush and turned and ran, ran from him and from her and from that terrible scene, that terrible scene of passion and pain and treachery, and all the while Doro laughed that triumphant laugh of his, and the hot tears sprung to his eyes, and his heart cracked, tore, ripped, shattered, shattered, shattered...

---

---


	29. Interlude: Hoshi ni Natta no Hanabi

**Author's Note: **I mentioned this earlier, but just to keep everyone from getting too confused, this Interlude goes back in time a bit, to the day before the New Year's Party. Enjoy. ;-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
**

**Interlude: Hoshi ni Natta no Hanabi  
--Fireworks That Turned to Stars—**

"_Lying down in a grassy field,  
I looked up at the topsy-turvy stardust.  
I found a shooting star!  
But what to wish for?  
I don't know."  
--Sakamoto Maaya; "Poketto o Kara Shite"—_

Genji slipped quietly from the main Reikaku doors and into the starlit night. The sounds of raucous laughter and off-key singing blasted through the entrance and briefly disturbed the peaceful evening, but the young bandit made certain to snap the door shut as tightly as he could. The noises faded into a muffled roar and Genji, breathing a short sigh of a relief, veered off of Reikaku's main path and towards the smooth bluff that rose to the east of the spacious stronghold. He picked his way up the rocky hill – in the summer, the area would be covered with beautiful blue-and-white wildflowers, but in the winter the little bluff couldn't have looked uglier – on a beeline for the grass-covered top. That was the best place to view the stars, or to simply sit and think for a while. The young bandit had decided that thinking was definitely at the top of his list that evening.

_Something_ had happened that night, Genji knew that for certain. When Koji reached across the table for the sake bottle, and Genji stuck out a hand to grab it for him, and their fingertips brushed for the tiniest moment, something inside of the young bandit trembled, and he jerked his hand back so fast that he nearly knocked the bottle over. No one had noticed – everyone was too drunk to notice much of anything, really – but that hadn't stopped the strange stirring in the pit of his stomach, the stirring that quivered at his insides even now, that made him want to run right back into that stronghold so he could be near Koji again, so he'd never have to leave his side...

"Da, Genji-kun, you might want to watch your step no da."

The young bandit jumped about a foot in the air, whirling on his heel and glancing about hurriedly. "Who... who...?"

"Down here no da."

Genji's eyes trailed towards the grass under his feet and into the smiling eyes of one of Reikaku's New Year's guests. "Chi... Chichiri-san?"

"Na no da!" he greeted, waving up at the bandit. "I'm sorry to bother you, you looked like you were thinking very hard about something, but you were about to step on my face no da!" Genji sweatdropped, realizing that his left foot was about an inch away from the masked man's springy bangs. Chichiri sat up and patted the ground at his side. "Care to join me?"

"D-domo," Genji muttered, taking a cross-legged seat beside the monk. "What are you doing out here, Chichiri-san?"

"Escaping the noise," he answered, jerking a thumb back towards the stronghold. He flashed a strained smile, "The noise, and a drunken bandit who kept hitting on me. What about you no da? You looked like something was bothering you. Is everything all right no da?"

"I guess so. Anyway, it's not something you should worry about," Genji replied, turning his gaze towards the star-strewn horizon. "I don't understand it myself, te kanjii."

"Maybe I can help you out. I'm a good listener, and I do have some extra years' experience no da."

"That's okay, Chichiri-san." Genji's eyes moved restlessly from the surrounding forest to the monk at his side and back up to the heavens. "It would be so weird, discussing things like that with someone like you. I don't really know how to talk to seishi, te kanjii."

Chichiri grinned. "What about Tasuki no da?"

"Gen-sama's not a seishi; he's my Okashira (Boss), te kanjii!"

"Well then today's your lucky day, because I'm just a wandering monk no da," Chichiri shot right back. The young bandit stared at him, at a loss for an argument. The seishi chuckled and lay back in the grass. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But if you need some advice or someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come to me no da. Though I don't like to admit it, the silver in my hair isn't _just_ for decoration."

Genji flopped back in the grass next to the older man. He brought up his thumb and forefinger on each hand and formed a little window, staring through it at the individual star clusters. "The seishi travels must have been amazing, te kanjii. I was only four at the time, but I still remember all the stories my Oba-chan used to tell me about the miko and her warriors."

"Four years old?" Chichiri sighed. "I really am turning into an Ojii-chan no da..."

"You knew Gen-sama back then," Genji said suddenly, rolling over onto his stomach to stare at the monk. "Was he always the way he is now, te kanjii?"

"Pretty much no da," Chichiri agreed with a chuckle. "He's still the loudest person I've ever met, he still knows curses that I've never even _heard_, and he still can't stay out of a fight, even if it's a useless one—"

"That isn't what I meant," Genji said. Chichiri glanced up, surprised by the intensity in the boy's voice. "I meant... has he always been so, you know... so afraid of himself?"

Chichiri's face darkened a bit. "Iie," he murmured. "That's something he didn't have when I first met him, though he did gain it a long time ago."

"Do you think it will ever go away? Sometimes he looks so uncertain, or like he's unhappy even though he's pretending that he isn't. I want him to look like he's happy when he really _is_ happy, te kanjii. What can I do to make it better, Chichiri-san?"

"Nothing really, Genji-kun," Chichiri admitted. "Tasuki's going to have to take care of that on his own no da. All you can do is be there for him, and maybe look after him until he doesn't need that anymore."

"But can't _you_ do something to help him with his fear? He trusts you, and you've known him—"

Chichiri shook his head. "I don't think Tasuki knows that I can sense those feelings no da. He's so ashamed of it, and he's tried so hard to keep it hidden that, if I told him, it might only make things worse. Besides, what could I do about it no da? 'Magic' his problems away? I still haven't met a sorcerer who could do that."

"But don't you want to help him, te kanjii? Don't you want to make it better?"

"Of course I do, but that doesn't mean I can." The monk chuckled. "You're a good kid, Genji-kun, but you're probably still too young to understand this. The thing is... Tasuki doesn't really need or want my help, at least not the way you think he does. If I'm here for him, if he knows that I care about him, then that should be enough no da. Just knowing that there are people who love you... that's sometimes all the strength you need."

Genji blushed at the word "love." "And... do you love Gen-sama?"

"Mm, I suppose I do no da."

He clenched his chibi fists, peering excitedly at the monk. Maybe he was on to something with this! "And does your heart sometimes go 'doki-doki' when you're near him?"

"Eh?" Chichiri sat up and stared at the young bandit for a moment. "Genji-kun, I think you're confusing romance with friendship. I care about Tasuki, but I'm not _in love_ with him no da."

The youth put a hand to his chest, blushing bright red in the moonlight. "Romance, te kanjii...?"

"Hai na no da. I like spending time with him and I might even want to protect him from time to time, but not in the same way a lover might. Telling the difference can be... a little confusing sometimes no da. But that 'doki-doki' you're talking about is probably the biggest difference." To save the boy from further embarrassment, Chichiri formed a window with his hands and mimicked Genji's actions from earlier. "Sa, my constellation is hiding behind the clouds tonight, but there's a great view of 'Tasuki' this evening. It always shines so brightly in the winter no da..."

Genji followed the monk's gaze, staring at the tiny pinpoints of light and thinking hard. He'd heard Hikaru say it before, and now he had to admit it himself: Chichiri was very wise. But could Genji trust the monk with _his_ problem? Could he help Genji stop this forbidden feeling in his chest? Because now that he knew what it might be, he also knew that he had to stop it at all costs. There was no chance that Koji thought of him like that. So he had to make it go away. But how could he do that, when it was the last thing he possibly wanted?

"I... I want to be there for Gen-sama, too!" Genji blurted out. "I really do, but... Chichiri-san... there's someone else who I want to be there for, even more than Gen-sama, te kanjii. Someone who I just realized that I... only, I don't think I can, because..."

But before the young bandit could confess his feelings, a slurred voice at the bottom of the hill cried:

"I'LL KILL 'EM ALL!"

Genji and Chichiri sat up straight, exchanging startled glances.

"Was that—?"

"I think so—"

"Shuu-chan, please calm down!" another, desperate voice cried.

"I hate men, I hate _all men_, and I'm gonna make 'em pay for this!"

"It was only one, and he didn't mean anything by it, I promise..."

Monk and bandit sighed. "Shuu-san's at it again no da (te kanjii)."

Chichiri stood up and walked to the edge of the hill, glancing down at the Asatenshi sisters. The main Reikaku doors had been left open, lantern light pouring out from the common room and onto the two struggling young women. Chichiri had a perfect view of the enraged Shuu, fighting violently against Hikaru's death lock, and the equally upset Hikaru trying to pull her sister as far away from the stronghold as possible. The monk waved down at the pair, calling across the field, "Hikaru-san, Shuu-san! Is everything all right na no da?"

Hikaru glanced up, flashing a strained smile and waving back at the older man. "Oh, Chichiri-san, konban wa! I wondered where you'd gone to." Shuu tried to wriggle free, but Hikaru brought her waving arm back down and locked it around the other woman's throat. "Everything's fine, I assure you. Shuu-chan just needed some air, that's all."

"Bullshit! And how'm I supposed to 'get air' if you're cuttin' off my windpipe?" Shuu cried, reaching back with one hand and trying in vain to get a grip on her sister's arm.

"Would you like to join us up here no da?" Chichiri offered. "There's plenty of room, and more than enough air for all of us."

"Chi... Chichiri-san!" Genji yelped, scrambling across the clearing and grabbing at the monk's pant leg. "What are you _doing_?"

He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled down at Genji. "Maybe if they come up here it'll take Shuu-san's mind off destroying the stronghold no da."

"But then she might decide to destroy us instead, te kanjii!"

Hikaru frowned a little. "We wouldn't be interrupting anything, would we Chichiri-san?"

"Of course not no da!" the monk assured her. "Genji-kun and I were just enjoying the scenery, but we'd love the extra company."

Chibi tears poured from the youth's eyes. "This is bad, te kanjii..."

"Thank you so much! We'll be up in a moment!" Hikaru called to the pair. She adjusted her grip until she had her hand wrapped around the back of the collar on Shuu's dress, then proceeded to drag the flailing young woman up the rocky cliff, murmuring gentle reprimands about her sister's hot-tempered behavior as she went. A few moments (and several curses from Shuu) later, the young women squatted on the edge of the hill, Hikaru smiling at the two men and Shuu grumbling mutinously under her breath.

"What a lovely view," the elder Asatenshi remarked. Genji noticed in the dim light that her and her sister's cheeks were a bit flushed, and the strong scent of sake lingered around both of them. "You really can see for miles up here, and the stars are just beautiful tonight. Don't you think so, Shuu-chan?" Her sister growled and looked away. "Oh, Shuu-chan, please don't be upset with me. I'm not defending his behavior, but I couldn't have you setting the entire stronghold on fire either now, could I?"

"That little bastard stuck his head right under my skirt and said 'What I wouldn't give to have a closer look at _that_' – and that was _after_ he tried to grab my breasts!" Shuu snapped, her entire body crackling with emerald energy. Genji scooted to the far side of the knoll, wondering if it would be worse to face that magic or to just leap from the top of the steep hill. "He deserved a lot worse than that little shock I gave him!"

"Little shock? I saw smoke coming from his ears!"

"It would have been fire if you hadn't butted in!"

"Ano..." Chichiri began timidly. The two young women glanced over at the monk, who rubbed the back of his head. "Did this bandit happen to have long black hair and bluish-green eyes?"

"And wear a jacket with the kanji for 'River' sewn into one sleeve?" Genji added.

Shuu blinked, the energy around her body dissipating a bit. "Uh... yeah..."

"But how did you know that?" Hikaru finished.

The monk sweatdropped. "Because he tried something similar on me no da."

Genji nodded. "That's Satsuki-san. He's usually nice, but when he gets drunk he starts hitting on everybody, no exceptions, te kanjii."

"All th' more reason why he should be blown off th' mountain!" Shuu cried, smacking the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. "Along with that Ahou Leader of yours, who had th' nerve to call me flat-chested and say that...!" She sneezed and blinked several times, glanced around, then giggled awkwardly. "Uh, where was I?"

"We were just talking about the stars, Shuu-chan," Hikaru said, winking at her sober companions.

"Hanabi, te kanjii!"

"No, Genji-kun, not 'hanabi' (fireworks) – 'hoshi' (stars), though I've no idea how you would get those confused," Hikaru corrected, stifling a hiccup. "Oh, you'll have to excuse me, Tasuki-san and Koji-san insisted that I join in on the festivities—"

"No, no!" Genji interrupted, pointing wildly at the western horizon. "Right down there, Hikaru-san! Kakou City is shooting off fireworks! I forgot that they always start their New Year's party a day in advance, te kanjii!"

"Oh." Hikaru smiled sheepishly and followed Genji's gaze, watching as an orange blossom burst in the sky, sending down five shimmering rays of silver fire before disappearing below the horizon. "Suteki (How lovely)... you said they do this every year, Genji-kun?"

"Mm!" He agreed, clapping as three golden rockets streamed up into the air. "Gen-sama and Koji-sama showed me a few years back. They usually come up here with the bandits who _haven't_ passed out." He lowered his eyes sadly. "But I suppose they passed out themselves this year..."

"They were still awake when we were there," Shuu grumbled, "singin' 'Night of the Streakin' Merchant,' at the top of their lungs, an' like I said b'fore, that Ahou kept makin' snide comments about my maidenly figure..."

At the words, "maidenly figure," Hikaru and Chichiri exchanged looks that said "she must be _smashed_" before hurriedly muffling their laughter into their sleeves. "Well, maybe they'll remember to join us no da," Chichiri remarked. His sharp ears perked up a bit, picking up the sounds of two familiar bandit voices at the bottom of the hill. "And speak of the devils..."

"_Kanpai! Kanpai!  
Sake o nomou!  
Sekai no hate made  
Sake o nomou!"_

"More horrid songs," Shuu murmured, falling back into the grass with a tiny giggle._ "Kanpai, kanpai, ahou to baka ga iru..."_

Genji and Hikaru both scrambled to the edge of the hill, leaning out and calling down to the bandits. "Up here! Up here!"

The bandits had their arms slung about each other and each held a bottle of sake in their free hands. "Down here, an' a song fer yer troubles!" they shouted back, waving the sake bottles and sloshing liquor across the ground. "_I once knew a whore from Hokkan, she's the best one ya ever did know! She'll fuck ya blind, from the front or behind, and still say 'Wanna have one more go'?"_

"Cover your ears," Chichiri muttered from his spot on the hill. "If this is the same song Tasuki sang to me in Sairou, the next verse is even worse."

"_She once met a man outta Kutou..."_

Genji's eyes widened. "Can you do that with chopsticks?"

"Yeah, but it hurts like a bitch," Shuu said, snickering almost uncontrollably. Hikaru opened her mouth to scold the young woman, then seemed to forget all about that and fell back into the grass, giggling at the crude lyrics. Chichiri, for his part, cupped both hands over Genji's ears until the final warbling notes of _'And he couldn't sit down for a week' _were carried away by the evening breeze. Shortly after he removed his hands – smiling down at the wide-eyed bandit in the process – Tasuki and Koji appeared over the hill and promptly thumped to the ground between the Asatenshi women.

"I would like t'make an announcement!" Koji cried, raising his bottle regally above his head. "I would jus' like t'say, that I love each an' every person on this li'l hilltop, an' I do hereby declare that yer all blessed, that's right, blessed with my unendin' love an' affection, an' I wish ya five times th' normal amount-a luck!" He swung an arm around Tasuki, thumping the half-full bottle against his friend's chest. "Except fer this lucky bastard here, who wins seven-hundred times th' normal amount-a luck! An' I'll kick th' ass-a anyone who argues with that."

Tasuki fell back to the ground laughing. "Is that so, eh? Well then ten-hundred times th' normal amount-a luck t'you, the best goddamned friend a lucky bastard like me c'd have! An'," he waved to his other companions, "seven times th' normal amount-a luck t'all-a you, 'cept fer Washboard-Chest Gaki over there!"

"You wanna repeat that, Ahou?" Shuu attempted to push herself into a sitting position, but couldn't get her arms to function properly. Her eyes turned up to the sky once again, and she waved a dismissive hand in Tasuki's direction. "Aw, fuck you Ahou... I'd rather just watch th' fireworks anyway..."

"Hanabi!" Koji echoed, shaking his sake bottle at a burst of crimson and gold and flopping back into the grass. "Those're the best ones in Konan, that's what they say in Kakou City!"

"'Course they'd say that in Kakou City," Tasuki shot back. "No one'd come t'the show if they said 'fifteenth best fuckin' display in Konan! You've seen what's it, now see th' one that's shit!' Ahou!"

"Who's an ahou, huh?" Koji cried, sitting up a bit and punching at the air. "You wanna start a fuckin' brawl, I'll whip yer ass like I did when we were kids 'n' you c'n go cry inta yer pillow 'bout yer mean ol' aniki!"

"Yer th' one who was cryin', ahou!"

"Ah, fuck you, man! Fuck you an' yer sisters an' yer mom an' her huge knockers, too!"

They stared at each for a moment, then fell back to the ground in fits of laughter.

"Fuck you too, ahou..."

"Yer the ahou, ahou..."

"You're _both_ idiots," Shuu grumbled from Koji's right.

"I'll second that," Hikaru murmured a giggle.

"Third no da," Chichiri added pleasantly.

"Fuck you too, then!" both snapped before promptly returning to their sake bottles.

"Wai!" Genji cried, pointing towards the heavens. "Look, everyone! A shooting star! How pretty, te kanjii!" He started to sing, moving his index fingers back and forth to the beat. _"High above in the winter sky fell a lonely midnight star..."_

Hikaru smiled, clapping her hands together happily. "Oh, I know that one! It's called 'Kaerenai (I Can't Go Back),' isn't it? Chichiri taught it to me on our way to the stronghold! It's such a nice little piece, though rather strange. The tune's so light-hearted, but the lyrics are quite sad."

Genji nodded. "That's the point, te kanjii. It's a sad song with a happy sound. Life's kind of like that, I think." He rubbed the back of his head, frowning a little. "Though I'm not very creative: I got the idea for the lyrics and tune from 'Hoshi no Namida,' a song my mom used to sing to me at night."

Chichiri mirrored the boy's nod, then realized what he'd just said. The monk sat up straight, staring in disbelief at the young bandit. "Wait, Genji-kun, are you saying that _you_ wrote 'Kaerenai'?"

He blushed. "Well, I know it isn't very good... I was only sixteen when I put it together, and I've gotten a lot better since then, te kanjii."

Hikaru and Chichiri gaped at the embarrassed bandit. "That's one of the most famous songs in Konan no da," Chichiri finally managed to gasp out. "I was visiting Kutou a few months ago, and_ street__performers_ were singing your lyrics! Genji-kun, that's absolutely amazing no da!"

Koji heaved himself into a sitting position. "Yeah, he came t'the stronghold singin' that li'l ditty. We liked it so much that he taught it t'all the bandits, who spread it down through Kakou City an' well, you seem t'know the rest." He tousled the boy's hair affectionately. Genji's blush deepened, but he didn't try to pull away. "That's our Genji-kun fer ya! Good with a sword an' even better with brush 'n' paper."

"I've never heard that song before," Shuu grumbled from the ground.

"Provin' even further that yer a total an' complete gaki," Tasuki snickered.

Shuu clenched a fist and started to rise, but Koji and Hikaru moved hurriedly and slammed her shoulders back into the ground. "Aw, don't worry Shuu-san," the co-leader assured her. "Me 'n' Hikaru-san'll teach ya th' lyrics b'fore th' night's out, how's that sound?"

"Oh, the star's almost disappeared!" Chichiri interrupted, nodding towards the heavens. "Singing about the stars is fine, but we don't want to forget to make a wish on them no da."

"Chichiri-san, how come we have so many songs about shooting stars?" Genji wondered. "I like writing music about them, but I never really knew why they were so poetic. Are they magical or something, te kanjii?"

"You don't know the legend no da?" Chichiri asked, propping himself up on one elbow and glancing over at the youth.

"I don't believe I've heard it either," Hikaru remarked.

"Stupid Konan folktale junk wouldn't reach us where we're from..." Shuu added in an unintelligible murmur.

"I thought everyone heard about that when they were little," Chichiri said with a chuckle. "That's one of the first stories my father ever told me, come to think of it. You're serious, though? _No one_ told you what the stars are, or why you wish on them when they fall no da?"

"Jus' tell us th' goddamn story ya fuckin' monk!"

"I missed you too, Tasuki," Chichiri replied sweetly. He lay back down and his companions followed suit, their inebriated gazes turned towards the faint shimmer of falling stardust. The monk's single eye drooped a bit as he thought back to the ancient legend that his father had told him, so long ago. "The stars... or so they say... represent the souls of the people on earth."

"My soul ain't up there, its right here!" Koji objected, thumping hard at his chest.

"Yes," Chichiri agreed, a hint of annoyance in his tone, "our souls stay with us, but we all have a star that also represents that soul no da. Some think of it as a 'guardian star,' because its light is a sign that we are alive on earth. When each of us is born, a new star appears in the sky. Depending on how we live our lives, that star can either glow as bright as Hyokkokusei (Polaris), or as dim as the tiniest lights on the horizon. Some believe that Polaris is the Emperor's star, and that's why it always guides its people no da." He traced the pattern of his constellation in the sky, frowning thoughtfully as he came to the end of the legend. "Likewise, when each of us dies, our star vanishes no da. I suppose that's because we take a place in the heavens when we die, so we don't need a guardian up there anymore."

"Bullshit," Shuu grumbled. "The stars are pinpoints of light, jus' like th' sun except smaller an' farther away. Nothing more than that, monk."

"I think it's a wonderful story," Hikaru said, shooting her sister a glare. "Though, rather sad..."

"But why do you make a wish on the dead?" Genji wondered. He formed a window with his hands again and followed the fading trail of the fallen soul. "It doesn't seem right, te kanjii..."

"You wouldn't normally," Chichiri agreed. "Not all stars fall like that one did, you know. Some of them just die out, some brighten a bit right before they disappear, and others are here one night and gone the next no da. But there are a few lucky ones that send up a blazing streak of starlight as they vanish into memory. Those are the ones – or so they say – who have left a mark on this world, and who won't just quietly die with the ages. There is a great power in memory no da. Some say that power can create miracles."

"Miracles..." his companions echoed. Hikaru, Chichiri, Koji and Tasuki closed their eyes, murmuring under their breath. Shuu snorted and looked away, grumbling something about ridiculous superstitions. Genji stared hard at the sky for a moment, his mind whirring across every desire he could imagine, every possible outcome he could obtain from every possible wish in the universe. Well, perhaps he didn't think about it that hard. There was really only one wish Genji wanted, anyway. He sat up and raised his arms above his head, crying:

"I wish for Gen-sama and Koji-sama to be happy for ever and ever and ever, te kanjii!"

"Uh, Genji-kun..." Chichiri said, unable to hide the sweatdrop on his forehead. "You're supposed to keep your wish a secret no da..."

"I am?"

"Yes, otherwise it won't come true no da."

"It won't?" Tears sprang to his violet eyes. "But I want it to happen so badly, te kanjii..."

Koji sat up as well, clapping a hand to the youth's shoulder. "Aw, don't feel bad Genji-kun. Genrou 'n' I don't need wishes t'be happy. We're plenty happy right now, ain't that right Gen-chan?"

"I was right up until you started callin' me Gen-chan," Tasuki shot back. He grinned up at the downtrodden youth. "C'mon Genji-kun, don't worry about it." He punched at the air playfully. "So long's Koji 'n' I are t'gether, nothin' can bring us down fer long!"

"I wouldn't doubt that," Hikaru agreed.

Chichiri watched the young bandit sympathetically; the poor boy's lower lip couldn't seem to stop quivering. He was about to join the others in consoling the youth, but a faint light sparkling across the sky caught at the corner of his vision... He gasped, and his masked face curled into a knowing smile. "Genji-kun."

"H-hai, Chichiri-san?"

"Today is our lucky day no da. Look!" his right hand shot up triumphantly, pointing out two more lines of shining light streaking down from the firework-strewn sky. "More than one in a night... that's unusual no da. In fact, on particularly powerful nights like this, it's customary to share a wish with others that you care about. So, what should we wish for together? Any suggestions no da?"

Tasuki and Koji raised their bottles to the sky, crying as one: "MORE SAKE!"

"Here, here!" Shuu agreed.

"Oh, count me in, I suppose," Hikaru said with a giggle.

"_More sake, more sake, make a miracle in th' sake,"_ Tasuki improvised. He tipped his bottle towards the two Asatenshi women in mock chivalry, then grinned devilishly at Shuu, threw back his head and bellowed:

"_There was a Gaki from Reikaku,  
With a chest as flat as a board..."_

"URUSAI, AHOU!"

An emerald firework of a different sort lit up the back of the hill, followed by several shouts and a round of violent swearing.

"Oi, Genrou, you okay?"

"Shuu-chan, that wasn't nice!"

"I'll kill him, I'll absolutely kill him, I hate _all_ _men_...!"

"Lemme go Koji, that little bitch is gettin' it this time, ya can't defend her forever!"

"I know where you sleep, bakayarou!"

"Namen ja nee yo, ya shit-eatin' goat-fuckin' flat-chested pencil-legged...!"

"And so on," Chichiri murmured, closing his single eye and chuckling a bit at the mock brawl going on behind him. "Those four will never change no da..."

"Chichiri-san."

The monk glanced to his left at the youth lying beside him. "Hai, Genji-kun?"

Genji sat in silence for a long moment, his arms behind his head and his sharp gaze on the heavens. "Chichiri-san, do you think... do you think it's wrong to love someone who you know will never love you back?"

Chichiri followed the boy's eyes to the heavens, staring at the stars that winked between a few wisps of winter cloud. "You can't help who you care about no da," he said. "So, if neither person is being hurt by that love, then no, I don't think it's wrong at all. In some cases, you could argue that there's something... something pure about a love like that, no da."

"So is it all right if you still protect that person, Chichiri-san? Even if they never feel the same way, can you still look out for them? Can you still try to make them happy, te kanjii?"

"Of course you can, Genji-kun, though you don't want to make yourself miserable in the process. That wouldn't be fair to the person you cared about no da."

"Naruhodo (I see)," he murmured. "Then, in that case..."

"Okay Shuu-san, ya think ya got th' lyrics down now?"

"I'd learn 'em better if you gave me a li'l sip of your sake, you stupid bandit!"

"That ain't gonna happen 'till ya call me by my real name: K-O-J-I! Oh, an' gimme a li'l kiss an' call me th' Love God while yer at it, Shu-u-cha-n!"

"_Teeme_...!"

"Chichiri-san, as strange as it may sound, I want to protect this," Genji finished quietly. "His smile and his laughter are the most important things in the world to me. And maybe that's wrong, Chichiri-san, but it's something I really believe. I've never been as happy as I am right now, te kanjii." Chichiri's eyebrows raised a bit on the word "his," but the monk remained silent. Genji took that as a sign of acceptance. He closed his eyes and nodded to himself, then opened them again and glanced over at the monk. "That's... the miracle I'd like to share, te kanjii."

"C'mon Hikaru-san, try a verse with me, na? _High above in th' winter sky..._"

"_Fell a lonely midnight star..._"

"Damn, I didn't know ya had such a great voice."

"Oh, goodness, I'm so embarrassed..."

"Everyone all together now, don't be shy Gaki, Hikaru-san!"

"I don't sing, Ahou!"

"Well, if you say so, Tasuki-san..."

"_High above in th' winter sky,  
Fell a lonely midnight star  
I wished upon its dying breath  
And sent it to where you are.  
So somewhere far away, my love  
Wherever you may roam  
I hope this miracle reaches you,  
And brings you safely home._"

"Hah! Now that's one helluva choir, na, Genrou?"

Chichiri smiled at the young bandit. "You know something, Genji-kun? I think that's the best miracle we could hope for."

"Oi, Chichiri, Genji-kun!" Tasuki yelled over his shoulder. "We're missin' a good tenor line. You two gonna sit there yakkin' or join in on this angelic chorus, huh?"

"Angelic chorus my ass..." Shuu grumbled into the bottle she had neatly robbed from Koji. "I refuse to sing, you hear me? I refuse!"

"Funny, I coulda sworn I heard yer raspy li'l alto in there somewhere."

"Oh, _shut up_, you stupid bandit!"

"We're coming, te kanjii!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting no da. Now, where are we...?"

"_We laughed, we loved, and so we thought  
That this might never end  
But that has all been shattered, love  
So I pray it back again.  
Now please, my dear, if a voice has wings  
Let mine fly straight to you  
And send us back to that place we loved  
And the world we thought we knew."_

As the final sweet notes trailed away, the last firework of the evening sent out a blazing stream of crimson light, streaking across the lonely night sky before it, like the six mingling voices, vanished among the stars forever.

---  
---

_**The Bandit's Japanese Song:  
**"Cheers, cheers!  
Let's drink sake!  
Let's drink sake  
Till the world ends!"_

_**And Shuu's Japanese Song:  
**"Cheers, cheers, the moron and the fool are here..."_

**_Author's Mundane Ramblings: May 28th, 2006; 11:15 PM_**

Ni-hao.  
Pardon my lack of excitement today, minna. I've very tired, in probably more than the physical sense.

Well, my incredible hiatus has finally ended. Is there anyone out there left to read this author's note, I wonder? _(sweatdrop) _I have a couple of important things to cover. Well, just one important thing to cover, but it'll probably take a while. So, I'd better get started, ne?

**Random Chapter Comments **I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's kind of a throwback to the beginnings of this fanfic, before everything started spiraling down such a dark path. I find it both sweet and a bit sad, especially considering what happened in Verse Nine. I decided to place it here, instead of in chronological order, for two important reasons: (1) I didn't have the idea for it when I began writing this story (good reason, no?), and (2) I thought that placing it here provided an important contrast – I started this fic so long ago that sometimes it's easy to forget just how far everyone has come since the beginning, so this chapter was a bittersweet reminder of the descent my six main characters have taken. And, though it might seem like nothing really happens here, this brief interlude actually forms the basis for the theme, and provides a little insight into the story's title. So not only does it give me a happy-squishy feeling in my stomach (and hopefully make you giggle a few times), but it has importance. Always two nice things for a chapter to posses, I figure. :) And yes, I did write Genji's song, so be nice in your criticism. I never claimed to be a poet – in fact, I tend to deny it quite hotly. _(double sweatdrop)_

**Reviews **Nothing really to discuss, I guess. Thanks to Alaia-san, Roku-senpai, Amaya-chan, burpycookies-san, and Tasu-chan's women(-san?) for their loving reviews, especially Roku-senpai, who provided me with some excellent ConCrit during a personal e-mail – and sorry to leave you all on a cliffhanger for so long (though I guess this chapter didn't end the cliffy either, did it?).

**That Important Thing **I'm seriously considering trashing RFS. It's spiraling down a path of melodrama, and I never wanted it to go there. Drama is fine, but I'd rather kill a fanfic than take it into melodrama. Unfortunately, I think it's already reached that point, and that's what worries me. Either I'm going to have to take the next part of RFS (Tasuki's part) through a major renovation, or I'm going to have to euthanize this fic. And at this point, I honestly don't know which I would rather do.  
I ask for some assistance in this decision. I can't promise that I'll follow your suggestions/opinions, but I _can _assure you that I will take them into account. So what do you readers think? What should happen to RFS's epic storyline and its struggling characters?

**Quote of the Moment **_"It's just like riding a bicycle – everyone's done your mom!" –my good friend Iken_

**Verse Preview? **If RFS lives, then the storyline will pick up where it left off. Trust & betrayal, passion & violence, decisions & departures... everything takes a turn, and absolutely nothing will remain the same.

Your Utterly Confused Authoress – Dee


	30. Program: Final Note

_The two seishi allowed their eyes to meet quietly. _

_This time for certain, they would part ways for the last time._

"_Take care-a yerself, okay? I mean it."_

"_And you do the same, Tasuki na no da."_

_They clasped hands solemnly. Chichiri told Tasuki, "…If anything happens to you, be sure to call out to me no da."_

"_Yeah, I know," Tasuki said again. "An' you gotta keep on studyin' t'make sure you c'n hear my voice jus' right." Chichiri slipped off his mask. Looking at his true face, Tasuki said, "Yer gonna start travelin' again, huh."_

"…_Yes."_

"_You never told me how y'got that scar-a yers. But whatever happened, I hope that th' one that came with it – th' wound on yer heart – I hope that heals up…"_

_Chichiri smiled slightly and slipped on his mask again. His shakujou rang out with a 'clang' and his kesa fluttered and whooshed about them on the snowy mountain._

_And this time for certain, the two seishi would travel through Chichiri's kesa for the last time._

_--Excerpt from "Sanbou Den: Volume One"--_

_**Author's Note: 6/17/07**_  
Phew… well, it's certainly been a while, hasn't it? It might be fair to say that I've been avoiding this fanfic, or rather, that I've been avoiding the inevitable. I had felt it coming for almost a year and a half, and maybe longer – I'd just been hoping to ignore it until it went away, or maybe until I came up with a solution. But I can't. I wanted to, because I never wanted to be that author who half-finished and then just disappeared, and I certainly never wanted to leave the readers hanging, but there's no avoiding it, now.

I'm discontinuing _Rhapsody of the Fallen Stars_, and I'm doing so for two reasons. The first is a small one, but still worth mentioning:

RFS has been dancing along the path of melodrama for a while, and the next story arc was going to throw us all into a world of angst and pain the likes of which few authors have dared to tread. If I wanted to avoid that (which I did), I would have had to completely revamp the second half of the Second Movement, and at least a couple chapters of the Third. But to do that, I'd _also_ have to ignore half of the oh-so-subtle (read: glaringly obvious) plot hints I'd been tossing out since I began the fic, most notably Tasuki's character development. All-in-all, to fix the fic would have been an incredibly messy process… but one I might have been willing to undertake, if it weren't for my second reason, the enormous one that's been glaring me in the face for at least a year now:

I don't like RFS anymore.

There, I said it.

I began writing this fanfic during the end of my freshman year of high school. I haven't written a word of it since the middle of my senior year, over a year ago. You'll notice a common thread here: high school. Which might explain the huge piles of steaming angst and melodrama that filled each and every chapter and seemed to fairly choke the story from front to back. It turned Chichiri into a depressed teenager, Tasuki into a weak-willed husk of his former self, and even gave Koji a touch of the "brooding lover" routine. I don't know if I was really that inwardly angsty or if I was just trying out a new style of writing, but regardless, once my hormonal life evened out I began to realize that this kind of constantly somber, dramatic style just wasn't my thing. I like comedy. I like action scenes. I like a little light romance. And yes, I like some tragedy and drama and Deep Inner Feelings thrown into the mix, but _not_ 24/7. I started to make _myself_ depressed with all the depressing talk, it seemed.

All of this has combined to make me look at RFS now, five years after its creation, and cringe. The only parts I can read now and honestly take pride in are the moments between Koji and Shuu, and of course Genji's scene-stealing moments, both as an adorable child and an observant adult. They, combined with all of you readers, were the only reason I didn't officially quit this thing a year ago.

But well, everything comes to an end, and when it came down to it I thought it'd be better to give RFS an honorable death, at the end of one of its lighter chapters, then to try to drag it out into a melodramatic grave. And for all the complaining I'm doing about it now, I think I'll look back on it happily. It gave me a good chance to try out a lot of different writing styles and themes, and for that I'm very grateful. However, I think it's time to set it to the side and move on. I'll leave it posted here, in case anyone feels the need to go back and reread (and cringe like I did, heheh), but that's all. Also, since writers who don't finish their fics drive me bonkers, here's what I'm going to do:

**If you PM or e-mail me, I'll send you a copy of the (extremely) rough draft of Verse Ten, as well as a summary for the rest of the story, complete with choppy scenes that I've written up here and there (and probably a few smartass comments about plot developments from yours truly). **I know it's not the same as reading the actual fanfic, but at least this way you'll be able to know what happens, so you can sit back and go "Oh, so _that's_ how it worked out!" And to be honest, after reading it, you'll probably understand why I decided to let it go. :)

Well, I guess this is the end then, everyone, or at least the end for this particular fanfic. It's been fun while it lasted, and I hope you had some good moments reading, even if it didn't end in quite the right spot. And hey, if you're still craving some writing from me, rest assured that I don't intend to retire just yet. The edit for _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_ is still underway, and _Broken Wings_, the FY fic I've started up under a shadow account (penname: Tangerine Infinity) is starting to pick up speed as well. You have to give that one a couple of chapters to get going, but luckily the chapters are shockingly short (for me, anyway), so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I also have tentative plans for a _Les Mis_-esque retelling of the Fushigi Yuu-niverse, and possibly an _Ouran High_ continuation story in the near future. I'm also playing with a number of original stories, so who knows? Maybe one day you'll even see my name in an actual bookstore… though I'm not counting on that day coming any time soon. :) Lord knows I've still got a _lot _of improvements to make.

And, if you're hungry for some other FY goodness, the _really_ good kind, then why not give Roku Kyu's fanfics a try? Drama _without_ the cheese – it's a beautiful thing. I'd also recommend her C2 group, "Hidden Classics of FY Fanfiction."

Thanks for sticking with me over these long years, minna. I truly appreciate all the praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism you've given me over the past years. While there's no way I'd be able to list everyone, I do want to especially thank reviewers Alaia, Amaya-san, and Roku Kyu, who gave me exceptionally long, well thought-out, and extremely helpful reviews. Also a huge "doumo arigatou" to Val-chan, my beta, who single-handedly saved numerous chapters of RFS and always had an encouraging word when I got too down on myself about a certain scene or plot point. Thank you all so much, and I sincerely hope to hear from you again.

Your Authoress—  
Dee


End file.
